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AN
ESSAY
DIVINE AUTHORITY
NEW TESTAMENT.
BY DAVID BOGUE.
SECOND EDITION, REVISED.
These things are written that ye may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the
Sou of God j and that believing ye may have Life through his Name.
John xx. 3U
LONDON: ,
PRINTED BY C. WHITTINGHAM, DEAN STREET,
FOR T. WILLIAMS, STATIONERS' COURT, LUDGATE STREET*
1304,
\so4
PREFACE.
The following Treatise was drawn up at the
request of the London Missionary Society.
That zealous and active body resolved to print
a very large edition of the New Testament for
the use of the people of France. On considering
the wide spread of infidelity in that country, it
was thought it would be for their edification, to
accompany it with an Essay' on the Divine
Authority of the Writings of the Evangelists and
Apostles. The office was assigned to me, and
it was accepted by me. The difficulty of it
was felt, when it was too late to retract : and I
blushed to think, that 1 should have dared to
take up the pen on a theme, to which many of
the first men in the republic of letters for
talents, learning, and goodness^ had. bent the
whole strength of their mind. However I had
undertaken the task, and it was necessary to
proceed. One thing gave rae encouragement,
as it pointed out the necessity of the work,
namely, that though there were many books
of the highest excellence on the evidences of the
christian religion, not one was suited to our
views : and a treatise more appropriate to the
A. 2
particular object was needed to answer the
present purpose. Such a treatise it has been
my endeavour to furnish.
But that the reader may judge of the Essay
according to the writer's design, I beg leave to
Jay before him the plan I pursued, as best
adapted to attain the proposed object.
I have endeavoured to keep always in view
the persons for whose benefit it was intended.
Deists are the men addressed. Atheists I leave
entirely out of the question. To propose the
evidences of Christianity to men who cannot read
the existence of God in the works, of creation,
is perdere et oleum et operam. The deists are
supposed to hold what we call the principles of
natural religion : and if in addition to this, they
be considered as in a great measure ignorant of
the real doctrines of the gospel, and prejudiced
against it as containing all the superstition of
the church of Rome, it will finish the outlines
of their character. For such I write: and it
will be proper for the English reader to keep
this in view.
It has been my study to select those argu-
ments of which a person may see the force by
reading the New- Testament: and to it has
been my constant appeal. Such proofs as re-
quired a critical skill in languages or history,
did not appear suited to the occasion. As
the Essay should suit the mass, as well as
men of science, what may be called common
sense arguments, addressed to the understand-
ing and conscience of men who had the New
Testament in their hands, have been chiefly
employed, as best adapted to general convic-
tion.
Those who are intimately acquainted with
the deistical controversy, and who need but a
hint in order to recal a whole chain of reason-
ing to the mind, may complain that I have
dweit too long on each particular. Others who
love to see a subject accurately treated, and
arguments fully exposed to view, will find fault,
because the particulars are not sufficiently
illustrated. My course lay between these two.
The former was altogether improper, because
the persons I address are supposed to be in a
great measure unacquainted with the subject.
The latter would have been tedious to those
for whom it is designed, and besides would
have swelled the Essay into several volumes.
It has been my aim to bring forward the
substance of the evidence, and to illustrate each
particular so far, that a person who previously
had little knowledge of the subject might see
and feel the force of the argument. Whether
I have succeeded, it is the province of the
reader to judge. If I could have spared more
VI
room, I should have enlarged (what some ma}
think least to the purpose) the first chapter of
the Essay: because I believe that one grand
reason why many reject the New Testament,
is because they are ignorant of its principles,
and have taken up false ideas of the gospel of
Jesus Christ.
If the arrangement be perspicuous and easily
remembered, it will answer the author's wish.
The divisions may appear formal ; but he
thought they would render an Essay of this
kind more distinct ; and likewise that a person
who would not venture on an undivided book,
might be induced to read a short section, and
from one be led on to another. As to language,
his endeavour has been to render the ideas as
plain and as obvious as he could, to minds un-
accustomed to religious enquiries; and to com-
prise as much useful matter in as few words, as
could be done without obscurity. Whether
he has been able to render it interesting must
be left to the judgment of others. A more
adorned style might have been agreeable to
many ; but one man has his gift and taste in
one way, and another in another.
Readers need to be reminded of this diversity
of taste in composition ; and that on account of
it, all cannot possibly have their own gratified
in any one performance. How differently do
vn
men convey their ideas ! We perceive a dif-
ference as to the matter, the form, the arrange-
ment, the length and manner of illustration,
the st}^le and degree of decoration. Very
many persons who read, but never wrote books,
are not sufficiently considerate as to this point.
They expect a greater conformity to their taste,
than it is in the power, were it the inclination,
of a writer to comply with; and if they do not
find their own favourite mode of composition,
they condemn the work. But a man might as
well insist, that others should have the same
contour of face, and eyes and hair of the same
colour with his own. It should be remembered,
that every man has his manner; and if a person
write a book, provided it be composed so as to
answer the purpose in a suitable degree, im-
partial and candid readers should allow him to
do it, and indeed should expect him to do it in
his own manner ; and they have no just reason
to complain on this account.
It has been, as you will observe, my study to
address deists, without bitterness and without
contempt. I have made use of no harsh terms
nor furious invectives, being convinced " that
the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness
of God :" but I have treated them fairly, as I
wish them to treat the gospel and its advocates,
A person who is conscious of truth on his side,
is under no necessity of having recourse to
Vlll
scurrility and abuse. Some writers on the
subject have taken very high ground, and
always speak of deists with the most sovereign
contempt, and the most pointed virulence, as
men destitute of the- shadow of a pretence for
their infidelity. One would imagine from
their representations, that those who profess to
be christians are all angels ; and those who re-
ject it are all devils. With respect to the ful-
ness of evidence from the scriptures for the
truth of Christianity, we perfectly accord : but
when we consider frdm what premises men
frequently draw their conclusions, and form
their judgment ; and that they look at the effects
of a religion more than at its principles , there is
reason to lament that they have had so much
to offer as an excuse for their unbelief. The
superstitious worship of the church of Rome,
combined with the absurdity of her peculiar
tenets, and rendered more offensive by the im-
pure or ambitious lives of many of the most
dignified of her clergy, have proved a stumbling
block to millions, and produced a rejection of
the gospel. In protestant countries, though
the creeds of the different churches be pure,
have not deists had too much to alledge against
the conduct of those who profess the christian
religion, and still more against the worldly
spirit (I speak it with grief) of too many of its
ministers? What indecorous means are often
publicly employed to obtain ecclesiastical pre-
ferments : and when obtained, though present-
ing full employment for the utmost exertions
of an individual ; in every lounge of idleness,
in every scene of amusement, in every haunt
of pleasure, are they to be daily found. What
influence may such conduct be expected to
have on those who witness it, and especially oh
those who associate with them ? " These men,"
they will say, " know the gospel better than
we: but it is plain from their life and conver-
sation, that they do not believe it: and wrhy
should we?" These excuses will not avail for
their acquittal in the sight of God; but they
should influence the defenders of Christianity
to treat them with less severity.
It may be said, " they have treated Christia-
nity in the most shameful manner." True:
but if their religion warrants them in such un-
becoming dispositions of mind, let us act ac-
cording to the tenor of ours, and defend the
gospel in its own spirit. " The servant of the
Lord, while he contends earnestly for the faith
once delivered to the saints, must not strive,
but be gentle unto all men, in meekness in-
structing those that oppose themselves, if God,
peradventure, will give them repentance to the
acknowledging of the truth." Many deists,
considered as members of civil society, are re-
spectable men : let them too as immortal crea-
tures be treated with respect. Their situation
A3
is dangerous beyond expression ; let them be
treated with the tenderest pity : they need it.
Christianity loses nothing by being defended
with her own weapons alone.
I am not at all astonished at the increase of
infidelity : but let it ever be remembered, the
causes were not of yesterday. In France, after
the persecution and banishment of the pro-
testants writh a thousand circumstances of worse
than Robertspierrcan cruelty, and the entire
destruction of their public worship, there re-
mained nothing but the vast mass of supersti-
tion, which covers the Romish church from
head to foot. Such a figure may beworshipped
among a grossly ignorant people, as in Austria,
and Bavaria, and Portugal, and Spain ; but
knowledge was rapidly increasing in France ;
and men enlightened by science could not view
the tricked up harlot, but with contempt and
with disgust. As the New Testament was not
a book in common use as here, they fell into the
same mistake with their descendants, concern-
ing whom an author who wrote not long ago
at Paris, in her description of the literary deists,
says, " It never entered into their mind to
conceive that popery and Christianity are two
different things." Imagining what they saw
was the very religion which Jesus and his
apostles published to the world, they despised
it, and they rejected it. After having seen
XI
high mass performed in all its splendour in the
capital of Louis xvi, and low mass in various
churches there; I profess that instead of won-
dering that multitudes of the people in that
country became deists, I rather wonder that
any could possibly continue to profess them-
selves christians, provided popery and Christia-
nity be the same.
In England the seeds of infidelity began to be
sown above a century ago in the neglect of the
religious instruction of young people by mi-
nisters and parents, along with the other causes
which have been enumerated. The field be-
came green : it grew slowly towards maturity,
tUl late events, like the rains and suns which
rapidly advance the harvest, made the ears of
the vast field appear. Multitudes were thunder-
struck, when they observed that the crop was
Infidelity; whereas it was just as natural a
produce, as if hemlock had been sown, and
a field of hemlock was raised to maturity.
Nothing else could reasonably have been ex-
pected.
While I am not astonished at, I am not afraid
of infidelity. No fears either for the gospel,
or the church of Christ disturb my mind. The
church is founded on a rock, and the gates of
hell shall not prevail against it. The gospel
has stood its ground against far more formida-
XIV
which the whole may be seen to greatest advan-
tage, so it is in such subjects as that before us.
There is a, first, which a writer will endeavour
to seize, and from thence be led on to a second,
and a third, so as to give to the whole the
greatest degree both of clearness, interest, and
force. It frequently happens that the proper
beginning is not with that which is first in point
of time : — in the present instance this is the
case. The person who is little acquainted with,
and rejects the scriptures, should begin with
the New Testament, as containing the system
of Christianity in its full perfection. When he
has read it with serious attention, let him then
ascend to the writings of the Old Testament, and
he will find additional confirmation of the gos-
pel, from the preparations which, he will see,
were made for the coming of Jesus Christ : the
Old Testament will likewise be moi*e easily and
better understood. Whereas if a deist begin
with the Old Testament, there are so many
things through the whole of the volume, but
especially in the Mosaic oeconomy, referring to
the christian dispensation, which cannot be un-
derstood, and the design of which cannot be
known till he has read the New Testament,
that he is in danger of growing weary of the
pursuit, and giving it up in disgust. In the
other way he perceives the reason of every
thing as he goes along; and his task is ren-
dered more easy and delightful. It has this
XVs
additional recommendation, that it was the
method which the apostles pursued. — Should
this essay be deemed to answer the purpose for
which it is designed, the writer at a future
time, should opportunity be given, may at-
tempt a treatise on the Divine Authority of the
Old Testament : and he conceives that there is
a great variety of important considerations on
the subject, to which not only deists but like-
wise many christians have Hot paid the atten-
tion which they merit.
If it be asked why an essay which was in-
tended for France alone, is printed in the Eng-
lish tongue, my answer is, that the measure
was approved and recommended by some gen-
tlemen to whose judgment I pay great de-
ference. They thought it might be useful in
this country : and it was giving me an oppor-
tunity of submitting it more fully to the friends
of the gospel, from whose remarks I promised
myself much assistance ; and hoped that I
should thus be enabled to render it more fit to
answer the proposed end, and less unworthy of
being translated into the French tongue. On
a perusal of the Essay, faults and defects are
perceived in the printed copy which were not
so obvious in the manuscript. Those which
the writer had remarked, and such as were ob-
served and communicated to him by others,
there would be an opportunity of altering, be-
XV1J1
was likewise published at Paris. I am not suf-
ficiently acquainted with that tongue to form a
judgment of it ; but I am informed, that to a
high degree of elegance it unites the strictest
fidelity.
The English edition being sold off, a se-
cond has been called for, and is now pre-
sented to the public with various corrections,
which, it is hoped, will be found to be improve-
ments. That the divine blessing may accom-
pany it, and render it profitable to every reader,
and to those especially for whose use it was de-
signed, is the author's fervent prayer.
Le style de cet ouvrage est celui qui convient au sujet.
Du naturel> de la simplicity, point de luxe, point de
clinquant oratoire. Un livre de raisonnement ne doit
point etre ecrit comme un livre d'imagination ; et Taustere
langage de la raison ne veut pas que la clarte* soit sa-
crifice aux ornemens, ni la justesse des expressions a leur
enluminure.
CONTENTS.
Page
Introduction...... *
chapter i.
CF THE EVIDENCE FOR THE DIVINE AUTHORITY OF THE
NEW TESTAMENT, ARISING FROM THE PRINCIPLES
WHICH IT CONTAINS , 14
Sect.
I. The Character of God as delineated in the New
Testament 15
II. The Character of Jesus Christ 19
III. The delineation of human nature 29
IV. The doctrine of a Mediator, and redemption
through him. ^31
V. The moral precepts of the Gospel : 39
VI. The manner in which a future state is represented
in the New Testament 44
VII. The motives proposed by the Gospel 48
VIII. The characters which the New Testament is de-
signed to form 51
IX. The happiness which results from the influence of
the Gospel in forming such characters 55
X. There is every thing in the New Testament which
a revelation from God may be expected to
contain .... 60
CHAPTER H.
OF THE EVIDENCE FOR THE DIVINE AUTHORITY 0*
THE NEW TESTAMENT, ARISING FJIOM CONSIDE-
RATIONS SUGGESTED BY ITS CONTENTS 64
I. The New Testament conveys more improvement
to the mind than any other book 65
II. There are no false principles in the New Testa-
ment 69
III. The New Testament is in direct opposition to
every depraved principle in human nature..... 7ft
XX
Sect. Ttige
IV. Men never get before the Testament 76
V. The fullness of the New Testament.. 79
VI. The scheme of the divine government as repre-
sented in the New Testament is vast and ex-
tensive 82
VII. The appearance and tendency of the moral world
confirm the principles of Christianity 84
VIII. The manner in which the New Testament ad-
dressesmen 89
IX. The harmony of the writers of the New Testa-
ment * 91
CHAPTER III.
OF THE EVIDENCE FOR THE DIVINE AUTHORITY OF
THE NEW TESTAMENT, ARISING FROM THE TES-
TIMONY OF THE APOSTLES 90
I. The quality and number of the witnesses 103
II. Their qualifications for bearing testimony to
Christ 105
III. Their sincerity and personal conviction of the
truth of their testimony 107
IV. Their constancy and perseverance in bearing
testimony 108
V. Their sufferings for the sake of their testimony 1 1 1
VI. Their martyrdom as a seal to their testimony 113
VII. It could not be the design of the apostles to ac-
complish a good end by bad means 116
CHAPTER IV.
OF THE EVIDENCE FOR THE DIVINE AUTHORITY O? THE
NEW TESTAMENT, ARISING FROM SOME ADDI-
TIONAL CONSIDERATIONS, WHICH FURTHER CON-
FIRM THE TESTIMONY OF THE APOSTLES 118
I. The improbability of the apostles contriving a
new religion.,.,. ,..,v ,.,.....,,, , 119
II. The divine origin of the New Testament may be
inferred from the talents of the writers 121
III. The penmen of the New Testament wrote with
ease on every subject 123
IV. The serious spirit with which the apostles write
gives weight to their testimony.. 124
XXI
Sect. Page
V* No little or evil passions are betrayed by the
writers of the New Testament 125
VI. The humility of the writers of the New Testa-
ment . 127
VII. The apostles acted as men believing their testi-
mony to be true 130
VIII. The apost!es do not encourage the prejudices, nor
flatter the passions of men 133
IX. The high tone of authority which the writers of the
New Testament use , 136
X. The character in which the founder and first
teachers of Christianity appeared 138
CHAPTER V.
OF THE EVIDENCE FOR THE DIVINE AUTHORITY OF
THE NEW TESTAMENT, ARISING FROM MIRA-
CLES « 142
I. The possibility and existence of the miracles of the
Ne w Testame nt .' 144
II. The number, variety, and manner of the miracles
performed in confirmation of the christian re-
ligion . 145
III. The design of the miracles recorded in the New
Testament..., 148
IV. The time and place of the miracles of the New
Testament considered as furnishing evidence in
favour of Christianity 150
V. Evidence of the reality of the miracles of the New
Testament 152
VI. A review of some particular miracles of the New
Testament ,.. 155
CHAPTER VI.
OF THE EVIDENCE FOR THE DIVINE AUTHORITY OF THE
NEW TESTAMENT, ARISING FROM PROPHECY... 161
I. The character of the prophets 162
II. The nature, minuteness, and extent of prophecy.. 164
III. The design of prophecy ,,.. 167
IV. The degree of clearness in prophecy. , 169
* XX11
sect. Page -
V. The prophecies concerning Christ 171
VI. The destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans 173
VII. The prophecies concerning Antichrist 176
Villi The existence and state of the Jews as a separate
people..; -....M 182
CHAPTER VII.
OF THE EVIDENCE FOR THE DIVINE AUTHORITY OF
THE NEW TESTAMENT, ARISING FROM THE SUC-
CESS OF THE GOSPEL 187
I. The nature of the christian religion as contained
in the New Testament 188
II. The persons by whom the christian religion was
propagated... 189
III. The means which were employed for propagating
the Gospel 191
IV. The opposition made to the Gospel 194
V. The sacrifices which those must make who em-
brace the Gospel., 197
VI. The success of the Gospel, and the number of its
converts 200
VII. Christianity could have had no success if it had not
been true 204
CHAPTER Via.
OBJECTIONS AGAINST THE DIVINE AUTHORITY OF THE
NEW TESTAMENT CONSIDERED 209
I. Obj. If we must examine one religiou in order to
discover its divine origin, it is reasonable that we
should examine all, and weigh their evidence ;
and this is so tedious, as well as arduous a task,
that our lives would be at end before it can be
accomplished 212
II. Obj. Christianity generates a timid passive spirit,
and is not calculated for forming great charac-
ters, or producing men who will prove extensive
benefactors to mankind..... 215
III. Obj. Christianity is the friend of despotism, and
the enemy of liberty... M , 21?
XX 111
Sect. pjjc
IV. Obj. Christianity establishes a system of priest-
craft, and exalts the Clergy to exorbitant
wealth, and a spiritual despotism over the con-
sciences of men 222
V. Obj. The blood which Christianity has shed, the
massacres which it has planned and executed,
and the miseries it has brought upon the earth,
must seal its condemnation 227
VI. Obj. Christ's appearance on earth was distin-
guished by a meanness which seems beneath
the dignity of the Son of God 223
VII. Obj. Christianity is known only to a small por-
tion of mankind : if it were from God would it
not be universal in its extent? 231
VIII. Obj. The effects produced in the world by the
christian religion have been few and small, and
of little benefit to the human race.. 233
IX. Obj. The attachment of multitudes to Christianity
arises merely from the prejudices of education 237
X. Obj. Very few of the great and the learned em-
braced the christian religion 238
XI. Obj. There are many divisions, and great dis-
sensions among christians 240
XII. Obj. There is much obscurity in the New Testa-
ment, and there are many things mysterious.... 242
XIII. Obj. When we survey the form and mode of com-
position of the books of the New Testament, we
cannot conceive that they were written by
divine inspiration 247
XIV. Obj. How can we be certain that the books of the
New Testament were written by the Apostles of
Christ: and if they were, that they have not
been interpolated and corrupted since 250
XV. Obj. Many of the advocates for the religion of
Jesus inveigh bitterly against philosophy, be-
cause they know that Christianity cannot bear
the strict scrutiny of her penetrating eye 254
XXIV
CHAPTER IX. page
THE SENTIMENTS AND CONDUCT OF THE DEISTS
BRIEFLY CONSIDERED 260
Sect.
I. Deists do not examine Christianity with the spirit
of men who are searching after truth. 261
II. Deists do not seem, even with respect to their own
system of religion, to be in earnest, either as
to the practice or propagation of it 264
III. How little the enemies of Christianity have been
able to say against it, merits notice 269
IV. From a spirit of opposition to the Gospel, and in
order to destroy its credibility, deists run into
the grossest absurdities 272
V. The system of the deists does not supply the
place of the Gospel, nor make suitable and suf-
ficient provision for the happiness of man 275
VI. There is good reason to conclude that the system
of natural religion, which the deists profess to
hold, is derived from the New Testament 279
VII. A comparison between the most eminent deists
and christians, as to their temper and conduct
in life 282
VIII. The most eminent deists and christians compared,
as to their views and hopes at the approach of
death 284
CHAPTER X.
SOME MISCELLANEOUS CONSIDERATIONS, AND CON-
CLUSION , 292
I. The harmony of the different parts of the evidence
for Christianity 293
II. Every man of a good disposition must wish the
Gospel to be true... 295
III. The temper required by the New Testament in
those who examine the evidences of Christianity 297
IV. The truth of the christian religion believed by those
who have spent all their days in studying the
New Testament 300
Conclusion..,....,,....,.. , .,..,..,...„. . 305
INTRODUCTION.
Immortality is the glory of man. Take it
away, and he sinks into insignificance. They
debase human nature who consider death as the
close of their existence. But you shudder at the
degrading thought; and, agreeably to the dic-
tates of reason and truth, deem yourselves
formed for eternity. Cherish the vast idea ;
and aspire after a happiness which will never
end.
Will you permit a friend, though unknown ^
to solicit your attention to a book which was
written with the godlike design of raising you
to the perfection of your nature and to happi-
ness, by conducting you to God? The book
demands examination, and represents it as cri-
minal in men, if they will not weigh its evi-
dence and contents in the balance of impartial
reason, and give it that reception to which it
is entitled.
Do not turn away with disdain and say, <c I
will not read it." That is not the language of
• wisdom. The book claims its origin from God ;
and its object is to teach you how to serve him,
and how to attain the highest felicity. — " Bat I
B
am sure it is not true/' Millions have read and
acknowledged its truth: among: these have
been the most conscientious of men, and the
first luminaries of science, than whom none
were ever better qualified to examine its na-
ture and excellence: and they had no. worldly
interest to serve by professing to believe the
gospel. When a Bacon, a Paschal, a Boyle,
a Newton, a Locke, and a Leibnitz, have
examined and received Christianity as true,
can you call yourselves impartial enquirers af-
ter truth and happiness, if you refuse to examine.
It is not desired that you should believe be-
cause they believed ; but that you would ex-
amine what they believed to be truth? and the most
important truth. I intreat you to read the New
Testament. Till then, you cannot possibly
know whether it is to be rejected or received.
A cursory reading is not sufficient: it requires
a repeated perusal and diligent study, that you
may clearly perceive its scope, its design, its
general principles, and particular truths. With-
out this, to call yourself either christian or deist
would be alike unbecoming and unreasonable ;
for you are not qualified to judge of its merits,
and cannot with justice either approve or con-
demn. Without reading and understanding
the New Testament, either of the names will
cover him who wears it, not with honour but
with disgrace. A man of reason will examine
before he decide.
3
Let the examination be conducted with im-
partiality. Christianity desires no bias in her
favour till examination take place ; all she re-
quires is, (and is it not reasonable r ) that no pre-
judice should beenlertained to her disadvantage.
She calls you to banish levity when you begin
to read ; to proceed with seriousness of mind ;
and to summon up all the energies of the soul
to the work. The enquiry, she says, is of infi-
nite importance ; and your happiness in a fu-
ture state depends upon the issue. Will it then
be unsuitable, before you proceed, to offer up
a supplication to the Father of Lights, from
whom cometh down every good and perfect gift ;
that he would illuminate your understanding to
perceive the truth; and incline your heart to
embrace it, wherever it may be found ?
True Religion is the thing sought for ; and
it will be allowed that it ought to teach us not
only what God is, but how he is to be wor-
shipped and served-, in what manner we may
be admitted to enjoy his friendship ; and how
we may do the things which please him. A
religion which does not give us information on
these subjects, is entirely insufficient. That a
revelation from God is necessary for thispmrposc,
has been a common sentiment among mankind :
and may we not consider it just r Let him who
would deny it, take a view of the condition of
the world, and of the history of man. What
nation in a state of nature, in ancient or mo-
B 2
3ern times, whether civilized or barbarous, has
preserved itself from sinking into gross ido-
latry ? Not an exception can be found, unless
it be among those rude tribes which are so stu-
pid that no traces of religion are to be disco-
vered among them. — Wherever idolatry reigns,
it is an evident proof, that men have stumbled
and fallen at the very threshold of the temple ;
and have not advanced so far as to have a sight
of the proper object of worship. Ignorance of
the nature of God has been uniformly attended
with ignorance of man's duty and condition,
and of a future state of being ; and likewise, as
may naturally be expected, with the most
dreadful depravity of manners, and the preva-
lence of every kind of vice. — Let the descrip-
tion of the ancient heathen world in the epistle
of Paul to the Romans, the 1st chapter from
the 20th verse, to the end, be compared with
the most authentic documents of the state of
morals among the pagan nations of antiquity,
or those of modern times ; and it will be found
that the portrait drawn by the apostle is not
overcharged in its colours, but is a perfect like-
ness of the original.
Were this an abstract question, an answer
might be more difficult, and less satisfac-
tory: but it is a question of fact, and the mul-
titude of idolaters in every heathen land pro-
claims the necessity of a divine revelation. To
alledge that Socrates and Plato by the
strength of reason discovered many noble prin-
ciples of religious truth, does not solve the ob-
jection*. The question is, not what a few
persons of superior genius have been able todo9
but to find a rule of life for the mass of man-
kind. That they have not been able to disco-
ver it for themselves ; or if any have discover-
ed it, that they have not been able to render it
so far of use, as to banish idolatry from a
single city, (and they had hundreds and thou-
sands of years to do it in), ancient Greece and
Rome, and modern China and Hindostanaiford
sufficient proof. If then men are to be made
wise, and good, and happy by the knowledge,
and worship, and service of .God, a divine re-
velation is absolutely necessary.
That the possibility of a revelation was ever
called in question, may justly excite surprise.
If men can convey their ideas to each other,
cannot God convey his to them ? If we can
send a message by one man to another, or to
many ; cannot God employ men as messengers
in revealing his will to men ?
Arguing from the nature of God, there is
*' Even Socrates and Plato were idolaters; they
conformed, and advised others to conform to the religion
of their country — to gross idolatry and absurd superstition.
One of the last acts of the former, who is accounted the
wisest and best man of Pagan antiquity, was to offer a
cock to Escul apius. If the wisest, and most learned
were so blind, what must the foolish and the ignorant be 1
6
likewise a probability of a divine revelation.
Kis goodness and men's felicity unite in the
claim. If religion be lost on earth, who can
assert it to be improbable, that God will restore
it? The frequent pretensions which have been
made to a revelation from God, and the recep-
tion they have met with, shew that it is a sen-
timent congenial to the human mind.
The business then is to endeavour to find out,
if God has actually given a revelation of his will
to man ; (you will perhaps add) among va-
rious pretensions, to distinguish truth from im-
posture. Here is a book which professes to
contain what we seek for : — but you say, " Let
us attend to the claims of the numerous can-
didates." This, however, is no such hercu-
lean labour as you imagine. The thing which
wre must seek for, is an universal religion,
or a system which professes to be designed for
the use and benefit of the whole human race :
and no other will answer the purpose, what-
ever its merits may be. To this honour not
one of the Pagan systems, either ancient or
modern, prefers a claim. They allow that they
are only local institutions; and some of them
even refuse to admit proselytes : consequently
these are all out of the question, and they can-
not be heard. The Jewish religion was in-
tended for the use of one people only, and that
for a season : the religion of Jesus was the
first that ever asserted the claim of universality ;
7
nor has its claim been ever formally contradict-
ed since. About six centuries after Christ,
Mahomet arose. He did not deny the divine
mission of Jesus of Nazareth. He spoke of
him in high terms of respect : but he said his
followers had corrupted the gospel ; and that
Be was come to restore religion to its purity by
a new revelation from God. Mahomet then is
the only competitor with Jesus Christ, and with
how poor a title to competition will be seen in
the sequel.
It is proposed to consider maturely what the
gospel offers in favour of its being a revelation
from God; and your serious attention is re-
quired. After Moses and the Prophets had
paved the way, in the appointed time Jesus
Christ appeared ; and declared that he was sent
from God to be the saviour of sinners y and the
prophet of the human race. He called twelve
men to be his disciples, to learn his doctrine
from his lips, and to be witnesses of his life and
death, of his resurrection and ascension. When
he was about to leave the earth, he gave them
a commission to go forth unto all the world, to
preach the gospel unto every creature, and to
convert all nations: and he promised to send
his Spirit to assist them in the arduous work;
They obeyed their master's voice ; and every
where they proclaimed his gospel. Their zeal
was great, and their success still greater.
Had the doctrine only floated in the living
8
voice, and rested in the memories of men, it
would,, most probably, have been soon cor-
rupted or forgotten. In order to prevent this,
and to preserve it in all its purity to the latest
ages, it became necessary that it should be com-
mitted to writing. With this design they com-
posed various treatises, containing the life of
Christ, the history of the planting of Christianity y
letters to the societies or churches which they had
formed, and a prophetical book in the form of an
anticipated history of the christian religion,
from the death of Christ to the end of the
world.
These treatises were carefully collected into
one volume by the disciples of a succeeding
age : and that volume is called The New Tes-
tament. The witnesses profess, that it com-
prises a full account of the christian religion in
all its parts ; that nothing can be added to it
without a crime, by any man or body of men ;
and nothing taken away. They further insist,
that the book was written by divine inspiration.
God, they say, so influenced their minds and
directed their thoughts, that it has neither er-
ror nor mistake. Every historical fact is record-
ed as it really was ; every doctrine it contains,
is the real doctrine of Jesus Christ ; every pre-
cept is his command ; and every prediction is
from the Spirit of Jehovah, who suggested it
to their minds. With respect to language,
while every one followed that way of express-
9
ing himself which was natural to him, and
which constituted his proper style; God so di-
rected their pens, that the Xvords they made
use of, were properly fitted to convey the mean-
ing of the Holy Spirit in his revelation of the
wrill of God.
Along with these high pretensions, the New
Testament claims to itself .the exclusive prero-
gative of conducting the children of men to
eternal blessedness. Such as refuse its divine
authority, it charges with the heinous crime of
shutting the door of mercy against themselves,
and drawing down destruction upon their own
heads. But those who submit to its guidance,
it promises to introduce to the friendship of
God, to the purity and pleasures of the christian
life, and to eternal felicity in a future state.
" He that believeth on the Son bath everlasting
life : but he that believeth not the Son shall not
see life, but the wrrath of God abideth on him.'*
John iii. 36.
Whether these claims can be substantiated
or not, is the point at issue. The wrriter be-
lieves they can be substantiated : he, therefore,
entreats the serious attention of every reader.
All he asks is, that every argument may have
that degree of weight given to it which it de-
serves. He will be permitted to add, that it is
the language of a friend, who is not contend-
ing for victory, nor seeking to prop up a sys-
10
tern of falsehood, because by this craft he has
his living ; but who writes from a disinterested
love to the truth, and from an ardent desire to
promote the happiness of his fellow creatures, -
Before entering on the subject, it may not
be improper to consider a question which has
often been asked, namely, " When God gives
men a revelation of his will, what evidence
may it be supposed he will give them of its
truth ?" That God could give such a measure
of evidence to each individual, that it would
be impossible for him to have a shadow of
doubt upon his mind respecting it, we are ab-
solutely certain : and many may wish that it
were given. But whether God will give it or
rot, is a matter in which we cannot decide by
reasonings a "priori : It must be determined by
facts. Were we to argue from analogy, we
should say, it is most probable, that God will
give evidence sufficient to convince every hum-
ble, impartial, and honest enquirer after truth ;
yet not such a measure, but that proud, worldly-
minded, captious men may find matter of cavil-
ling, and reject it as an imposture. This is
the case with respect to the works of creation
and Providence, and to various matters of the
greatest importance: and it is likely to be so
here. One advantage resulting hence is, that
the New Testament, as the learned Grotius
remarks, becomes, Tanquam lapis tydius ad
*
11
quern hominum ingenia tententur, a touch-stone
to try the hearts of men. By an overpower-
ing evidence this advantage would be lost.
It becomes us to decide in like manner as to
the kind of evidence which we may expect to
find. Some prefer mathematical demonstra-
tion ; others call for the sight of miracles : but
if any one would say, " I will not believe, un-
less this species of evidence be given," surely
nothing can be more unreasonable. All that
we have a right to ask is, that the evidence be
of such a kind as the subject admits, and as we
are able to judge of, and in such a measure as
to produce conviction : but here we are to rest.
We must not presume to dictate to God : He
will do what seemeth to him best ; not \vhat
pleaseth us. The whole of his moral govern-
ment displays this principle of conduct; and
instructs us, that while he consults the good of
his creatures, he will not gratify their capri-
cious and unreasonable wishes.
It is likewise highly probable that the evi-
dence will be different, both as to measure and
kind, to persons living in different countries^
and in different ages. — Here is a system of re-
ligion which endures for ever, offering: itself,
from age to age, to the acceptance of mankind.
From the very nature of things, the evidence
cannot be the same to the man who lived when
Jesus dwelt on earth, and to him who is now
invited to embrace the gospel. If, as is asserted,
12
Christianity was ushered in by miracles, the
former saw them performed ; the latter receives
them as a matter of testimony. There were
predictions uttered at that time : the former gave
credit to them on the strength of the miracles
which he saw the prophet work : they are be-
lieved by the latter, on the satisfactory proof
arising from their full accomplishment. There
will be a difference too, as to the degree of the
evidence from the capacities and dispositions of
men ; for it will be fullest to the most enlarged
minds, and to the most holy hearts. This dif-
ference cannot possibly be prevented, but by
a constant miracle extending in its operation
to every individual. Not to mention that this
would go far to annihilate the very existence
of miracles ; if we look at the ordinary course
of God's moral government, we shall see, that
we have no reason to expect any such thing ;
and that it is directly contrary to his dispensa-
tions towards the children of men. All that
wt have any right to expect or ask is, a suffi-
cient degree of evidence to produce conviction
in an upright heart : and here we shall not be
disappointed; for there is enough for all, ex-
cept those who continue under the influence
of prejudices and unhallowed passions.
But let it not be conceived, for it cannot be
said with any pretence to truth, that there is but
s-canty evidence of the divine authority of the
New Testament, Men give credit to things on
13
which their greatest worldly interests depend,
on far less evidence than this book can produce
in its support. Indeed, if the evidence be ma-
turely weighed, it will be found to be ample,
and of various kinds which strengthen and sup-
port each other, suited to the nature of the
subject, and sufficient to give the fullest satis-
faction to every candid and serious enquirer.
14
CHAPTER I.
OF THE EVIDENCE FOR THE DIVINE AUTHORITY OF THE
NEW TESTAMENT, ARISING FROM THE PRINCIPLES WHICH
IT CONTAINS.
To speak of the evidences of Christianity, to
those who are ignorant of the nature of Chris-
tianity, is almost hopeless labour ; for they can
but very imperfectly discern their force. Let
us suppose a man to have been born in one of
the houses of Herculaneum, and to have dwelt
in his subterraneous mansion to the years of
maturity. You wash to convince him, that there
is a God ; and you put into his hand, " Ray^s
Wisdom of God in the Creation." I will not
say that the book is in such a Situation entirely
destitute of weight ; but I will propose another
plan. First, bring him forth ; and place him
near the summit of Vesuvius, when all is still :
let him behold the sun shining in majesty; and
take a view of the surrounding country, and
of the neighbouring ocean. Detain him till
the day closes, and the stars bespangle the fir-
mament ; and till the moon afterwards arises
in her brightness, and makes them disappear.
With the morning light carry him down to the
vineyards, and let him walk through the fields
of corn, and feast his eyes with the varied scenes
of nature. Put the book into his hands now.
15
Will not the arguments appear with more than
tenfold force ? JProceed in like manner respect-
ing Christianity; for many weighty arguments
in its favour rise out of the New Testament, as
those for the beino- of a God rise out of the
o
works of creation.
To the New Testament, every one who would
know what the christian religion is, and who
would enquire after truth with any hope of suc-
cess, is earnestly intreated to resort. The parti-
culars here detailed will enable you to form some
idea of the leading principles of the gospel ; and,
at the same time, will be sufficient to convince
yon, that the New Testament is no common book.
This some, especially of late, have endeavoured
to represent it ; and too many, without reading,
have been induced to believe it to be a weak,
ridiculous compilation, But peruse the follow-
ing sections ; and I have no doubt, but every
impartial mind will be obliged to confess, that
the New Testament is the most extraordinary
performance which the world has ever seen.
SECTION L
The Character of God as delineated in the Neiu
Testament.
Consistency is a quality which it is not easy
for a writer to support, in the persons intro-
duced into his book, The higher the character ?
16
the more difficult is it to keep up the dignity
which belongs to it. When God is introduced,
the difficulty rises to its highest pitch. Man
may speak of man, as to the general principles
of his nature, in a tolerably accurate way ; but
for man to speak of God, and to represent him
in his nature and government, in such a man-
ner that nothing shall fall beneath the dignity
of a being infinitely perfect, is an arduous task
indeed. But the writers of the New Testament
undertake it. Their volume mav be called the
book of God. He is introduced at the very
beginning; and he continues to the end. He
appears in every page, nay almost in every
sentence. There is a description of his various
attributes ; and we see him always clothed with
power,wisdom, sanctity, rectitude, and goodness.
He is held up to view as the creator and gover-
nor of the universe ; and as the saviour of sin-
ful men. He speaks ; he acts : we are told what
he has said ; and what he has done. . His ex-
traordinary interposition for the redemption of
the human race, is delineated at full length ;
and we are instructed what he will do, till the
end of the world, and through all eternity.
I sit down and enquire how the men of Galilee
succeed in their hazardous attempt. To my
astonishment I find nothing which it is beneath
God to say or do. Some things are above my
comprehension ; and I do not wonder, for be is
God and not man. But there is nothing level
17
to my capacity, concerning which I can say,
11 It is unbecoming God to have spoken or acted
thus." On the contrary, every thing appears
worthy of God. His plans, so far as I can un-
derstand them, are infinitely excellent. He is
ever pursuing the general welfare in the highest
degree ; he is bringing good out of evil ; and
actually advancing the happiness of all who
love and serve him. Did it not lead me into
too large a field, I would extend the descrip-
tion to the Old Testament, the- first volume of
this book.
I am at no loss to account for this, because I
believe the writers of the New Testament were
inspired. But how will you, who reject Chris-
tianity, account for it ? Whence did these illi-
terate men acquire so just and exalted ideas of
the Supreme Being ?
But the argument is not presented in all its
extent of evidence, till we compare the New
Testament with the wrritings of other men. The
compositions of the poets of Greece and Rome
have been celebrated, throughout the world.
You admire them. Let us take a view of the
deities which these men, the theologians of
the ancient pagans, have described. — But their
lusts, their quarrels, their revenge, their tem-
per, and their conduct, are so disgusting, that
the mind cannot bear to institute a comparison.
How high do the Philosophers of the same
18
countries stand in the annals of fame! But
when we hear some of them denying that there
is a God, and see others excluding him from
the government of the world ; and among the
best of them, for one just sentiment of God, .
ten that are absurd : — if we find more decent
company, it is but little more instructive. It is
equally needless to stop with the votaries of
Bramha and Buddha in the east : they discover
a similar taste, and present us with similar de-
scriptions of the object of their worship. Ma-
homet, it has been observed, is a peculiar fa-
vourite with the opposers of Christianity. Let
us attend to his representation of God: only
be it remembered that he had the Oid and
New Testament to copy from : but he could-
not copy. His features of deity are harsh and
forbidding. Some of the divine perfections are
left out: his God is imperfect. The men of
Judea and Galilee alone could delineate the
character of God. They have done it so well,
that in the most polished countries at the pre-
sent time, none can say, " You have forgotten
an attribute: we can improve the description."
— Were they not taught of God ?
19
SECTION II.
Tlie Character cf Jesus Christ.
yYere there nothing else to distinguish the
New Testament from other books, this alone
would establish its superiority. That it is a real
character which is drawn, and not a fiction, is
evident from the very representation. No hu-
man mind would ever have conceived such an
one. We find nothing like it in any ancient
writings: Plato and Aristotle had no such
conceptions. Such a birth, such a life, such
a death, lie beyond the bounds of human in-
vention ; for human invention is limited and
regulated by human passions and pursuits.
There is a peculiar symmetry of features, a
certain original and appropriate cast of coun-
tenance, which proves the portrait to be drawn
from a real person ; and not to be a fancy piece,
which sprang out of the imagination of the
painter. This is eminently the case in the life
of Christ. The discerning reader will perceive
it to be no romance, no effort of genius, to
pourtray a remarkable character which never
had existence ; but a real personage who lived
on earth, and did, and suffered, and spoke, and
acted, what is related of him. If in any in-
stance human sagacity can discriminate between
real life and fiction^ it is here ; for a thousand
20
circumstances are adduced, which furnish the
fullest opportunities of distinguishing the one
from the other. The heated imagination of a,
write* may fancy that his hero acts naturally
and according to character in the various situ-
ations in which he places him ; and those like-
wise with whom he has intercourse. But one
reader, more conversant with a peculiar walk
in life, sees one thing to be unnatural, and
another, another: and thus the romance is dis-
covered. But in the life of Christ no such un-
suitableness appears: all is in Us proper place.
Were the men of Galilee such proficients in
deception? No. The conclusion is obvious : —
They write a true history.
The perfection of Christ's character is another
consideration which stamps a peculiar excel-
lence on the New Testament. A representa-
tion is given of one entirely free from every
error and every sin, — of one who is perfectly
wise and perfectly good. This character is not
pourtrayed in a few brilliant passages at the end
of the gospels : it rises out of the whole of the
history of his life and death. Jesus is presented
in many, and in different situations. He is in-
troduced speaking on an infinite variety of sub-
jects ; he converses familiarly with his friends ;.
he discourses to the multitude; he replies to
the cavils of his enemies. He is displayed both
in active employments and in sufferings : but
not one word is contrarv to the dictates of wis-
21
dom ; not one action contrary to the rules of
rectitude. He is often thrown into the most
trying circumstances; and sudden and ensnar-
ing questions are frequently put to him : but
his consummate prudence shines forth in his
answers, and in his conduct; and none can ac-
cuse him of folly or of sin, In his most bitter
sufferings, from the hands of his Father, and
of the Jews, there is neither murmuring against
God, nor hatred and revenge, nor reviling of
man. — But he does not rest in negative vir-
tue : he is all resignation to the will of God.
His treatment of Judas, when betrayed, and
about to be delivered up ; his behaviour before
Pilate ; his words to the daughters of Jerusalem,
when they wept at his sufferings ; and his prayer
on the cross for his enemies, all manifest the
highest and purest efforts of goodness. Not
one evil passion shews itself in the slightest
degree ; even in an unbecoming word. No ig-
norance, no error, no imprudence ; all is truth,
and all is wisdom. Enthusiasm and supersti-
tion have no place in this wondrous personage.
There is from first to last a full display of per-
fect rectitude and perfect goodness.
In persons of remarkable activity, who are
constantly engaged in one duty or another,
<md who are thereby thrown into situations of
difficulty and temptation, how hard is it to keep
free from blame ! Something is* hastily said ;
something is unwisely done: a reproof is given
without due consideration ; a reply is too bitter.
Into the few years of the ministry of Christ is
compressed a greater portion of good works,
and active services, than can be found in the
protracted life of the man who dies at three-
score years and ten ; and who has served God
from his youth. But no imperfection is to be
found: "Which of you," said he, to his bit-
terest enemies, and he says it to you, " which
of you convicteth me of sin ?" Examine the
life of Jesus fully and maturely. It is written
by four men : and I venture to say with confi-
dence, you will find nothing which can detract
from the perfection of his character. No other
book furnishes a like instance. — A few pages
of panegyric may be written without a fault.
A life of tranquil inactivity it may be possible to
represent without many prominent blemishes :
but a life of so much business as the New Tes-
tament exhibits in Jesus Christ, does not exist :
and it increases a thousand fold the difficulty
of drawing a perfect character. Yet they suc-
ceeded. No men of ancient or modern times
can furnish such an example. Take a view of
the writers, their education, their manner of
life, their social intercourse and relations ; and
you may justly exclaim with astonishment :
" How were these men alone able to do what
" allothers, in ancient or modern times, who
23
" attempted it, have attempted in vain !n I
can think of no other answer but this ; —
" They were taught of God."
But there is something still remaining1 to be
mentioned in the character of Christ, which is
equally, if not more extraordinary. While
the Evangelists uniformly represent him as a
partaker of human nature, they also speak of
him as being more than man : for he is not only
called, the Son of Man, but, the Son of God.
Here then is an additional difficulty in delineat-
ing the character of Jesus. There must be
added, to the perfection of a man, the eleva-
tion becoming " the Word, who was in the be-
ginning with God, and who was God, by whom
all things were made :" nor do we search for it
in vain. Along with the most amiable conde-
scension that ever adorned human nature, there
is united an uniform dignity of sentiment and
conduct becoming his exalted rank, as the Son
of God. Jesus speaks with authority ; he pro-
mises with a consciousness of his power ; he
confers blessings as one who has a right to be-
stow'. In every thing, and place, and time,
he preserves, without the remotest semblance
of pride or assuming arrogance, the tone of a
master, and the dignified deportment of one
who " came down from heaven to give life unto
** the world ; and who was the only begotten
u of the Father, full of grace and truth."
There is another thing respecting Jesus Christ
u
which deserves to be thrown into the balance >
and it is by no means destitute of weight:
namely, that the Evangelists do not present a
popular character. There is nothing of the air
of an impostor in it : it was not calculated to
gain the approbation of the Jews. They ex-
pected a Messiah who would lead them on to
victory, who would subdue all their foes, and
who would exalt them to worldly dignities.
Their hopes of these things were high and
warm, and of long continuance : They had
drunk them in with their mother's milk : they
had received them by tradition from their fa-
thers. Those who wished to impose on them
and gain their favour, flattered their prejudices,
and promised them worldly greatness. Thus
did the false Messiahs act. We see them at the
head of armies, endeavouring to gain glory to
the Jewish nation, by the edge of the sword.
But Jesus of Nazareth comes in a way which
was altogether unexpected ; in a way which
dashed all their hopes, and robbed their minds
of those golden dreams which had so long de-
lighted them. In short, it was a total disap-
pointment in a matter which was the sheet-an-
chor of their hopes, and which occupied their
whole souls. But there is even more than a
disappointment: Jesus enjoins an opposite
temper, on the subjects of his kingdom ; and
he enforces it by his own example. Instead of
cherishing their fond expectations, that he
25
would erect his standard, and lead him forth to
victory and glory, he speaks " of the Son of
" Man being betrayed into the hands of sinners,
" who would scourge him, and spit upon him,
" and put him to death." Nay, more, in-
stead of encouraging their ideas of superiority
to the Gentiles, he utters various parables to
convey the unwelcome, because humbling idea,
that the Gentiles were to be admitted to a par-
ticipation of the same privileges with the Jews ;
and that men of all nations, who received the
gospel, were to be melted down into one holy
brotherhood. Is this the conduct of an im-
postor ? Can either the person described, or
the wrriters, excite suspicions of an intention
to deceive P. ?
* Instead of soliciting permission, I shall be entitled to
thanks for inserting here the no less just than eloquent, the
inimitable description of the character of Christ, drawn
by the hand of a master.
'* I will confess to you that the majesty of the scriptures
strikes me with admiration, as the purity of the gospel
hath its influence on my heart. Peruse the works of our
philosophers, with all their pomp of diction : how mean,
how contemptible are they compared with the scripture !
Is it possible that a book, at once so simple and sublime,
should be merely the work of man ? Is it possible that the
sacred personage, whose history it contains, should be him-
self a mere man ? Do we find that he assumed the tone of
an enthusiast or ambitious sectary ? What sweetness, what
purity in his manners ! AVhat an affecting gracefulness in
c
S6
The manner in which the disciples narrate the
life of Christ, is likewise uncommon and wor-
his delivery ! 'What sublimity in his maxims ! What pro-
found wisdom in his discourses ! What presence of mind
in his replies ! How great the command over his passions !
Where is the man, where the philosopher, who could so
live and so die, without weakness, and without ostenta-
tion ? — When Plato described his imaginary good man with
all the shame of guilt, yet meriting the highest rewards of
virtue, he describes exactly the character of Jesus Christ:
the resemblance was so striking that all the christian fathers
perceived it.
** What prepossession, what blindness must it be to
compare (Socrates) the son of Sophronicus to (Jesus) the
Son of Mary! What an infinite disproportion is there be-
tween them ! Socrates, dying without pains or ignominy,
easily supported his character to the last; and if his death,
however easy, had not crowned his life, it might have been
doubted whether Socrates, with ail his wisdom, was any
thing more than a vain sophist. He invented, it is said,
the theory of morals. Others, however, had before put
them in practice ; he had only to say, therefore, what they
had done, and to reduce their examples to precept. — But
where could Jesus learn among his competitors, that pure
and sublime morality, of which he only hath given us both
precept and example ? — The death of Socrates, peaceably
philosophizing with his friends, appears the most agreeable
that could be wished for ; that of Jesus, expiring in the
midst of agonizing pains, abused, insulted, and accused
by a whole nation, is the most horrible that could be feared.
Socrates, in receiving the cup of poison, blessed the weep-
ing executioner who administered it ; but Je^us, in the
midst of excruciating tortures, prayed for his merciless
tormentors. Yes ! if the life and death of Socrates were
those of a sa^e, the life and death of J eras were those oi
27
thy of peculiar notice. There is something
here perfectly unique: the whole compass of
human literature furnishes nothing similar.
That the men who wrote the gospels loved their
master, is too plain to he denied. Their re-
nunciation-of every worldly advantage and'
prospect, their entire devotedness to his cause,
their multiplied and hitter sufferings for his
sake, all display hoth the sincerity and fervour
of their love. — In what raptures will they do-
scrihe his life and death ! But on examination
we find no such thing. The writers of the
epistles speak in ecstasy of his excellence and
love: The prophets do so too. Isaiah, espe-
cially, has all the impassioned expressions of a
a God. Shall we suppose the evangelic history a mere
fiction? Indeed, my friend, it bears not the marks of fic-
tion ; on the contrary, the history of Socrates, which no-
body presumes to doubt, is not so well attested as that of
Jesus Christ. Such a supposition, in fact, only shifts the
difficulty, without obviating it : it is more inconceivable,
that a number of persons should agree to write such a his-
tory, than that one only should furnish the subject of it.
The Jewish authors were incapable of the diction, and
strangers to the morality contained in the gospel, the marks
of whose truth are so striking and inimitable, that the in-
ventor would be a more astonishing character than the hero."
What a mind ! to conceive ideas so beautiful and so just !
The divinity of the New Testament is displayed as with a
sun beam ! But what a heart ! to resist the force of all
this evidence, to blind so fine an understanding, and to be
able to subjoin, " I cannot believe the Gospel !"
c2 -
28
deeply affected spectator of his crucifixion.
But the evangelists are perfect calmness : hu-
man fervour will call it indifference. There is
no attempt to move the passions of their read-
ers : they mix not their own feelings with what
they narrate. There is not a single commen-
dation of Christ, in the form of a panegyric,
through the whole of the gospels. They de-
scribe his miracles and wondrous works with-
out praise; and in a tranquillity of manner
which seems at first sight unaccountable. There
is not the most distant attempt to magnify them,
and excite admiration. Nay, when they de-
scribe his sufferings and death, and the cruelty
of the Jews, they do not give way to passion
and grief: there is no invective against his ene-
mies ; no pity expressed for the sufferer ; no
acrimony against Judas or the chief priests.
They relate all as if they had no concern in the
matter. — When Xenophon describes the death
of Socrates, we observe nature expressing
her feelings in sympathy with the sufferer, in
commendation of his virtues, and in crimina-
tion of his enemies. Why do we not meet
with the same thing in the biographers of Je-
sus ? This is the more remarkable, as they were
not men who had been taught to disguise their
feelings. — They must certainly have been un-
der a superior guidance.
29
SECTION III.
The Delineation of Human Nature.
I his is a subject concerning which we may?
in a revelation from God, expect very particu-
lar information ; nor shall we be disappointed.
The heart of man has been the study of the
most eminent philosophers : and to explore the
springs of action, and trace its operations, has
been deemed one of the most useful employ-
ments. But where shall we find .so just and so
full a view of human nature as in the New
Testament ? The heart is anatomized ; and
every part, to its inmost recesses, is presented
before our eyes. The various disorders in the
understanding, the will, and the affections,
which constitute human depravity , are accu-
rately delineated. The numerous deceptions
to which men are liable, both from the work-
ings of their own hearts, and likewise from the
operation of external causes, are here un-
masked. The principles which influence the
conduct of men are described both in a di-
dactic, and historical way : and by looking in-
to our own breasts, we perceive the description
to be just. The account given of what passes in
the hearts of wicked men is so accurate, that
when their motives of action, their restraints,
30
their fears, their remorse, their desires, ancV
their pursuits, have been delineated from the
New Testament, they have been ready to con-
sider themselves as pointed at by the preacher.
Good men are described in it; their disposi-
tions, their aims, their temptations, their dif-
ficulties, their hopes, their distresses, their
consolations; and all with such perfect exact-
ness, that they are sensible the book could be
written by the searcher of hearts alone. It en-
ters likewise into every walk of relative life :
it sets before us, the rich and the poor, the
young- and the old, man in prosperity and in
adversity, in life and at death ; and gives a
well-drawn picture of each.
In addition to these, while this wonderful
book represents the distresses, the guilty fears,
and the wants of men, it unveils the gospel, as
the grand remedy, which divine wisdom and
mercy have provided. It describes the effect
which the gospel has upon the heart, in deli-
vering it from these evils, and in producing
faith, sanctity, and happiness. A great variety
of different tempers and situations of the heart
is exhibited ; and the influence of the gospel
in them clearly shewn. The christain feels
from experience, and remarks from observa-
tion, that the description is perfectly and en-
tirely jiist : and he rinds here an argument for
the divine authority of the book, which he can-
not resist.
&
31
When I sit down, and reason on the matter,
I am filled with admiration and astonishment.
The writers of this bock were most of them
fishermen of Galilee : and all the earlier part
of their days was spent in following their labo-
rious employments,— not in the study of hu-
man nature. But they all shew the same ac-
curate knowledge of man : and their system is
the same. — -This remark might very properly
be extended to the Old Testament. Besides
they were Jews, separated from the rest of
mankind, and but little acquainted with them :
but they describe men of all nations, and of all
ages. The book suits us just as well as it did
those who lived in their own days. For pro-
foundness of remark, for justness of descrip-
tion, for extent of view, none of the writings
of the ancient philosophers are to be compared
to this volume. But whence comes the supe-
riority of these unlettered men ? Let the deist
account for it, if he can.
SECTION IV,
The Doctrine of a Mediator, and Redemption
through Him*
That man should love God with all his heart,
and his neighbour as himself, is not the lan-
guage of religion only ; it is likewise the die-
32
tate of reason. But, alas ! neither reason nor
religion have had sufficient influence to produce
this effect. Man has offended God, and guilt
has exposed him to punishment ; for the holi-
ness of God must hate sin, and his justice lead
him to testify in his conduct the displeasure
which his heart feels. That man is also a de-
praved creature, and manifests that depravity
in his sentiments and disposition, the whole his-
tory of the human kind furnishes abundant
proof. If the annals of the different, nations
of the earth do not pourtray the tempers and
actions of a race of dreadfully depraved crea-
tures, there is no such thing in nature as an
argument. The tendency of guilt and depra-
vity is as naturally and certainly to misery, as
of a stone to fall downwards.
In what way guilty and depraved creatures
can be delivered from wickedness and punish-
ment, and restored to goodness and felicity, is
one of the most difficult, as it is one of the
most important questions, which can employ
the mind. God is justly displeased : how shall
he be reconciled ? Guilt makes man afraid of
God : how shall the cause of fear be removed ?
Depravity makes man averse to intercourse
with God: how shall his sentiments and dispo-
sition be 'changed? These are all difficulties
which natural religion cannot resolve ; and rea-
son is utterly silent.
Repentance and reformation have been consi-
35
dered by many as fully sufficient to banish all
these evils ; but they have no countenance for
their opinion from the course of God's moral
government. A debauchee repents bitterly and
sincerely of his vicious excesses ; but repen-
tance does not heal his diseased body : " he is
11 made to possess the sins of his youth ;4' and
the fatal effects of his vices bring him to an
early grave. The gamester repents of his folly,
and reforms his conduct ; but his penitence
and reformation do not procure the restoration
of his lost estate : and he spends his remaining
years in poverty and want. By imitating, men
testify their approbation of the divine conduct,
in their ideas of distributive justice. The ifl«r-
derer is seized, and led to the tribunal of the
judge. He professes to be a penitent, and there
is no reason to question his sincerity. But
do any think that his repentance should arrest
the arm of the righteous law ? He is condemn-
ed, and suffers death. If then the sentiments
of men, confirming the conduct of God, pro-
claim the insufficiency of repentance to atone
for iniquity, no rational hope can be enter-
tained of its efficacy. We must look to ano-
ther quarter : but where shall we look ?
An extraordinary interposition of the Su-
preme Being appears necessary : and a revela-
tion of his will to give us information on the
subject. Though it would be presumption in
us to name every thing that a revelation will
c3
34
contain, we may say with confidence, it will
be full and explicit as to the pardon of sin, and
the' method of a sinner's reconciliation with
God. These are indispensibly requisite. The
New Testament does not disappoint our wishes
nor our hopes : it enters fully into all these dif-
ficulties, and proposes a remedy for every evil
which we feel. The doctrines of a Mediator, and
redemption through him, present themselves to
our e}~es in every page ; and form the very core
of the christian religion.
The mediator is Jesus Christ. The dig-
nity of his person, the apostles are at a loss for
words to describe. " He is the brightness of
the Father's glory, and the express image of
his person. Heb. i. 3. " He was in the form
of God, and thought it not robbery to be equal
with God." Phil. ii. 6. " But because the
children were partakers of flesh and blood, he
himself also took part of the same." Heb. ii. 14.
His office is described in all its parts. He ap-
pears as a Prophet, Priest, and King ; and we
are taught, that on account of the obedience
unto death of the mediator, who now in hea-
ven maketh intercession for us, God may be
just, and the justifier of him that believeth in
Jesus : that through faith in his name, pardon
of sin is to be obtained, reconciliation with
Gcd, and the enjoyment of his friendship : and
tbat in consequence of the appearance of Jesus
Christ, and of his mediatorial acts, the Holy
35
Spirit is sent down to earth, to remove human
depravity ; and,, by enlightening the minds and
sanctifying the souls of men, to make them
meet for that state of perfect and eternal bless-
edness which is promised in the gospel.
As the whole of the doctrine of a mediator
is matter of pure revelation, it is far more dif-
ficult for us to pass a judgment concerning the
necessity, wisdom, and fitness of the whole,
or of some of its parts, than in the principles
of natural religion. Various points on which
the doctrine depends, and with which it is
connected, as for example, " the evil and the
" effects of sin ; the injury it doe3 in the uni-
" verse ; what is necessary in order to forgive-
" ness, consistently with the holiness and ree-
" titude of the divine nature, and the honour
" of the divine government ; and the example
" or warning necessary to be given to all intel-
" ligent beings," — These are things in which
God alone is competent to judge. .No man is
qualified to decide on these high themes, fur-
ther than God directs him by the light of re-
velation. In various parts and bearings, the
doctrine is above our comprehension ; but in
none is it contrary to our reason. This would
involve it in certain condemnation, but that
does not. Though in many particulars, we
cannot understand how it is brought about,
yet we clearly perceive that according to the
New Testament, many of the important de-
36
signs of the Supreme Ruler are accomplished
by it. If the means be extraordinary, so is the
end : and if the Mediator be a great and glo-
rious person, his interposition brings about the
highest, the most benevolent, extensive, and
lasting effects, in the government of the uni-
verse. There may be other ends answered by
it, of which we are ignorant ; some, perhaps,
with which man has as yet no immediate con-
cern, and others of which we cannot see the
reason in a ([present state, and which it was
therefore unnecessary for God to make known
to us now.
It must be allowed to be in favour of this
doctrine, that it is agreeable to the analogy
both of the natural and the moral world. In
how many instances, is one person made the
instrument of good to another: and benefits
which we could not acquire for ourselves, are
acquired for us, and bestowed on us \>y the in-
terposition of others. If, therefore, the book
which contains such a doctrine, have sufficient
evidence, that it is from God, this can be no
solid argument against it.
It is worthy of particular remark, that the
doctrine of a mediator gives a 'peculiarity to the
gospel, which distinguishes it from every sys-
tem originating in man. The ancient pagan
religions, as retaining some traces of the ori-
ginal revelation, had a faint shadow of it. The
Jewish dispensation held it up continually to
87
view ; and its extensive ritual was little else
than a multiform type of a mediator and re-
demption through him, in various parts and
effects. But when men wished to frame a sys-
tem for themselves, by mending an old religion,
or inventing a new one, they could not perceive
the necessity and utility of the doctrine. Ma-
homet's understanding could not reach so high :
and one of the things which he left untouched
in the New Testament, while he purloined
from other parts of it, was redemption by a me-
diator. How ill the tenets which he put in its
place, are adapted to bear the weight laid upon
them, every enlightened reader of the Koran
will easily discern. The want renders the Ma-
hometan a very gloomy system, void of the
cheerful light of the gospel ; as it must leave
the anxious mind of the devout mussulman al-
ways in doubt, whether his quantity of peni-
tence, of prayers, of fasting, of alms-deeds,
and of pilgrimage, be sufficient to cancel his
guilt, and open to him the gates of paradise.
The ancient philosophers, many of whom wished
to have the credit of a new system of religion,
do not appear to have discovered the necessity
of a mediator. Nor have the modern deists,
though their natural religion be stolen from the
New Testament, felt the necessity of redemp-
tion, or transferred any part of it into their
writings. That man's sins must be pardoned,
and that he must be reconciled to God, and
38
made good, before he can be happy, the most
rational deists grant. But the means of ac-
complishing these in a way honourable to God,
and safe to men ; in a way that furnishes pow-
erful encouragement, and lays a firm founda-
tion for lively hope, they have left out ; be-
cause they have left out a mediator. Will not
distracting uncertainties, and perplexing doubts
and fears be the certain consequence, with
every serious man of that persuasion ?
Whence had the Apostles their knowledge ?
They have given us a full view of human na-
ture ; and have exposed in the clearest light
the depravity, guilt, and misery of man. They
have, at the same time, pointed out a method
of deliverance from all these evils. Their sys-
tem is wonderfully ingenious : it is original : it
is adapted to the condition of human nature :
it is a remedy perfect and complete. They say
they had all their knowledge of religion from
Jesus Christ. But whence did Jesus Christ de-
rive it ? Those who deny his divine mission,
will find it difficult to account for his know-
ledge. There is something in his scheme un-
speakably superior to every other. It takes in
the rights of God, as well as the necessities of
man ; and renders God glorious in all his per-
fections, as well as man completely happy.
Who besides, in ancient or modern times, ever
conceived so vast an idea? But Jesus had no
literary education. Perhaps the Old Testa-
39
ment was the only book he ever read. He
never associated with the philosophers : bis com-
panions were not the chief priests, and elders,
and scribes. — Let the deist sit down and assign
a satisfactory reason for the vast superiority of
the gospel. The christian is free from difficulty ;
for he reads in the sacred page, and he believes
that " Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son,
44 who was in the bosom of the Father, and
" hath declared him unto us." John i. 18.
SECTION V.
The moral Pixcepts of the Gospel.
-By those who have been accustomed from their
childhood to the reading of the New Testa-
ment, so that every part of it is familiar to
their minds, it. is scarcely possible to form an
idea of the difficulty of ascertaining the va-
rious relations among mankind with such pre-
cision, as to delineate exactly wThat is due to
each. The writing's of the evangelists and
apostles have shed so clear a light on the sub-
ject, that some are apt to consider the know-
ledge of relative duties, (which all the inhabi-
tants of Christendom have through various chan-
nels derived from them) as originating in the
reflections of their own minds, and as the spon-
40
taneous growth of the human heart, without
labour and without cultivation. But read the
institutes of Menu, or peruse the books of the
ancient sages of pagan antiquity in the west ;
and the fallacy will soon be detected. That
some things there, are good and well said,
must be obvious to all. But how defective are
they in many points, and how unjust in others,
how superstitious in more ! Some duties are
mis-stated ; some are mutilated ; some are en-
tirely omitted ; and many things are strenuous-
ly enjoined as duties, which are not. Their
code of morals, even in what is due from man
to man, wants many leaves. As to the most
important part of the system, namely, man's
obligation to Gody and the duties resulting
thence, there is a still more dreadful deficiency.
Instead of moral duties, wTe find little else but
a hideous mass of superstitious rites, and un-
meaning ceremonies.
In the New Testament there is a perfect
system of moral precepts. What is due from
man to himself, is delineated without defect,
and without redundancy. What he owes to
his fellow creatures in all their different rela-
tions, is clearly defined, and authoritatively
enjoined. None can say, " It is unjust to re-
11 quire me to act thus to my father, to my
" master, to my servant, to my child." Man's
duty to God, (a subject still more difficult, and
where heathens failed the most), is laid down
41
with equal clearness, and equal fulness. No-
thing can be conceived to be a duty, which is
not here enjoined ; nor any thing enjoined as a
duty, which we can sav is unreasonable and
ought not to be performed. The world may be
challenged to mention one duty to God, or man,
which the New Testament does not enjoin ; or
to prove any one thing it enjoins as a duty, to
be destitute of reason, and void of obligation.
The simplicity, the conciseness, the perspi-
cuity, and the authority with which they are
delivered, give force to truth, and scope to
reason in the application of general duties to
particular circumstances.
The morality of the writers of the New Tes-
tament is their own. They borrowed it from
none. It begins at the source, and gives laws
to the thoughts. Its precepts reach to the first
workings of the heart : it enjoins purity of soul,
and brings M into captivity every thought to
" the obedience of Christ," 2 Cor. x. 5. Not
a vain imagination can be indulged, not an un-
hallowed desire rise up, without polluting the
soul, and contracting guilt.
How different is this system from what was
written and taught by the sages of Greece and
Rome. Regard for a person's own fame and
. reputation, how exalted a place does it occupy
among Pagan moralists ! and an equal anxiety
is discovered for the good opinion of
42
and the approbation of the public. The fol-
lowing line of one of their poets expresses both :
u Est pulchrum digito monstrari, et dicier, Hie est,"
While they thought it a fine thing to be pointed
at with the finger, and have it said, That is
he, the Pharisees were practising similar morals.
Their desire was to " be seen of men, and
i( they loved the praise of man more than the
" praise of God." These the Gospel utterly
excludes : it authoritatively inculcates self-de-
nial on all its votaries. It enjoins a supreme
regard to what God approves ; but to man, no
farther than their approbation accords with
God's, and is founded upon it. The disciples of
Jesus are commanded to iriaketheir light shine
before men : but the aim must be, not that they
may be admired and praised ; but that those
who see their good works, may " glorify their
" Father who is in Heave
The morality of the gospel is uncontaminatcd
with the impure mixtures which have defiled
every human system, published before or since.
It admits no licentiousness ; it enjoins no auste-
rities; it contains no superstition ; it will be sa-
tisfied with no partial regard. In the religion
of Heathens and Mahometans, how many li-
centious practices are tolerated and approved !
not one will the gospel allow, even in thought.
What a multitude of superstitious observances
43
do we perceive in every Heathen code, in the
Koran, and in the Talmud, which is the bible
of the latter Jews. But let the bitterest enemy
of Christ, who is best versed in the New Tes-
tament, take up the book, and point out one.
Austerities, or practices consisting in a privation
of comfort, how congenial have they always
been to human nature ; and how exalted a niche
have they occupied in the religions of men in
ancient days, and at the present hour, among
Pagans, Mahometans, Jews, and even among
some who have assumed the christian name !
But where will a sanction for austerities be found
in the gospel ? Never is the idea even hinted at,
that such things render a man more acceptable
to God, or advance him to a state of higher
perfection. In perusing histories of religion,
how often do we find reason to remark, that
ritual observances have been made to supply
the place of moral duties ; and even zeal for,
and abundance in one duty, to compensate
for the neglect of another. But no par-
tial regards will the gospel allow ; it insists On
universal obedience, andjoudly declares " that
" he who offends in one point is guilty, of all."
How the writers of this book should be able
to* draw up a system of morals, which the world
after the lapse of eighteen centuries can not im-
prove, while it perceives numberless faults, and
suggests numberless corrections in those of the
philosophers of India, Greece, and Rome, the
44
deist is concerned to account for, in a rational
way. The christian is able to do it with ease ;
The evangelists, and the apostles of Christ
" spake, as they were moved by the Holy
Ghost."
SECTION VI.
The manner in which a future State is represented in the
New Testament,
When an author chooses a theme which is le-
vel to the human capacity, and of which all can
judge from observation, experience, or reflec-
tion, he has greatly the advantage. A future
state of rewards and punishments requires the
pen of a master to write upon it but tolerably
well. A review of what has been published on
the subject, will evince the propriety of this
remark.
The Greek and Roman poets, who were the
retailers of the pagan theology among the most
civilized nations of antiquity, describe the hap*
piness of the good, and the misery of the wick-
ed, after death. But how mean the happiness !
It consists in talking over their battles, in re-
hearsing poems, and in receiving adulation.
A person acquainted with the ordinary pursuit?
45
of men on earth, if he have but a poetic fancy,
may easily, as to ideas at least, rival the de-
scription. Their state of misery is better con-
ceived, but it is minute and low.
Mahomet, who knew something of the New
Testament, thinking perhaps to improve upon
it, and to give a more affecting view, has pre-
sented us with his ideas of a future world. He
indeed gratifies curiosity ; but his minute de-
scriptions are disgusting in the extreme. His
state of rewards allures every sense, and every
appetite : it is the happiness of an epicure and
a wanton. His state of misery fills the soul
-with loathing and horror : it is the coarse ima-
gination of an Arab, who had seen and thought
of the most brutal cruelty.
Modern deists have been rather afraid of the
subject. A few of them have spoken of death
as the close of human existence. But there is
something in this so degrading, and at the same
time so irrational, that we can scarcely account
for their sentiments in any other way, but by
supposing that they are afraid of a world of
retribution. Others, nay most of them, allow
there is such a state ; but they say nothing
concerning it, which can afford satisfaction to
an enquiring mind. There is happiness to the
good ; and some will add, there is misery to
the wicked : But in what the happiness or the
misery consists, where is the deist who has
ventured to describe? They seem not at home,
46
when a future state is the theme of discourse :
we are left altogether in the dark. Their de-
scription has no substance : it is a fleeting shade
which eludes our grasp. The pagan Elysium
and Tartarus have a body ; but they are too
gross for reason to endure for a single moment :
we are only introduced to the Olympic games,
and Dionysius's dungeon. Mahomet's descrip-
tion has a body too : but his paradise is an east-
ern seraglio ; and his hell the office of the Spa-
nish Inquisition. Nature is overpowered, and
sinks beneath the oppression of the torture.
On taking the New Testament into our
hands, what a different scene is presented to
our view. We are no longer left to grope in
the deist's darkness : nor disgusted and shocked
with the unseemly particularity of the others.
The happiness of the disciples of Jesus is de-
scribed by images natural, innocent, and most
lovely: and there is always an intimation that
they are but images, and are designed to repre-
sent to us a state of felicity, consisting in per-
fect knowledge and perfect holiness ; a felicity
arising from conformity to God, and a full
fruition of him, and from the society of per-
fectly' wise and holy beings. The misery is
described by comparisons from natural objects,
which are exceedingly awful; and which,
without racking the feelings like the Koran, fill
the heart with salutary terror. At the same
time information is plainly conveyed, that the
47
misery in a great measure consists in evil dis-
positions and passions, in remorse and despair,
and in the displeasure of a justly offended God.
The superiority of the New Testament on this
most difficult of subjects, must be obvious to
every reader. Let him fairly ascertain the
cause.
There is a peculiarity belonging to the man-
ner in which this subject is treated, that merits
notice. When men write ori a future state,
they are apt to throw the reins upon the neck
of fancy. ^With the exception of the modern
deists, this has always been the case. Hence
their descriptions are minute to tediousness.
They know not where to stop : and the author's
exuberant fancy is displayed at the expence of
his judgment. But we do not find this in the
aposrles of Christ. There is a dignified reserve.
When they have advanced to a certain limit, a
veil is thrown over the rest. If this had, in one
or two of them, sprung from a spirit of cautious
sagacity, is it not probable that others would
have gone further ? Might not one, at least, of
a more adventurous soul, and more luxuriant
fancy than his fellows, have given a loose to
his imagination, and said many things which
thev never thought off This might be the
more naturally expected, as some never saw the
writings of the others, and therefore could
have no monitor or pattern to regulate their
steps. The remark acquires additional force, if
48
w&extend it to the writers of the Old Testament,
to whom it is equally applicable. How shall
we account for it ? Was there not a divine hand
guiding the pen ?
SECTION VII.
The Motives proposed by the Gospel.
F rom its doctrines, precepts, and discoveries
of a future state, the New Testament appears
to be no common book. The motives it pre-
sents, though partly included in these, may
)ret be considered as distinct, and in a peculiar
point of view. If the matter be duly examined,
it will not be looked upon as a rash assertion,
that it is impossible to conceive stronger
motives to deter from evil, and influence to
good, and consequently to banish misery and
produce happiness, than those' which the gos-
pel sets before our eyes. Here every spring of
action in the human heart is put in motion :
Hope, fear, love, hatred, desire, aversion,
gratitude, is addressed; not a chord in the
heart is left untouched. Diversity in motives
is of essential benefit.
Is not the fear of evil known and felt to be a
powerful principle in the soul ? Christ and his
apostles reveal from heaven the wrath of God
49
ast all ungodliness, and unrighteousness of
man ; and enumerate the many and bitter mi-
series which tread on the heels of transgression,
in a present life. But a future world is the state
of retribution: and we are taught by him,
who will sit on the tribunal at the day of judg-
ment, " that the wicked shall go away into
everlasting punishment, where there shall be
weeping, and wailing, and gnashing of teeth/'
Could fear suggest a consideration more pow-
erful, for restraining those strong propensities
to evil which are in the human heart ?
But motives of a different kind are more fully,
and frequently insisted on. Christianity is not
the religion of a slave. It does not debase the
mind with terror. It is a noble and generous
system ; and abounds with motives of love, and
promises of blessings, and the hopes of glorv.
Here we are entering on a most extensive field ;
but we must pass through it in haste : yet we
may enjoy something of the delightful prospect
we advance. The Supreme Being describes
himself by one word, which contains volumes
of ideas : GOD IS LOVE. Infinite mercy to
the guilty and the miserable, meets our eye in
try page. The boundless compassion and
:;race of the Lord Jesus, who came into the
world to#seek and to save that which was lost,
even the chief of sinners ; and his inconceiv-
able affection for his disciples ; are a frequent
''ghtful theme. The power of thesac
D
50
Spirit, and his enlightening, sanctifying, and
comforting influences, are often presented to
the mind. God's paternal care of his people,
his guidance, his support, his presence, his
consolations in affliction, and his more than a
father's regard and sympathy at the hour of
death, are expressed in language never used in
any other book. In addition to all these, the
eternal world is unveiled before our eyes ; and
we are called to behold a state of the noblest
and purest felicity, continuing and increasing
through all eternity.
Such are the motives of the gospel ; all tend-
ing to promote faith, holiness, and resignation
to the divine will, and to make men like God.
Stronger ones cannot be adduced. But how
came these fishermen and tent-makers and pub-
licans, to exhaust the mine ? Look at the mo-
tives of ancient and modern paganism, which
the votaries of Jupiter ', of Brahma, and of Fo,
have held up to the view of their worshippers !
Reason blushes at the sight, and is ashamed to
draw a comparison. If Mahomet could not
but perceive the strength of the motives from a
future state of rewards and punishments, he
has sunk them from spirit to* flesh : and many
of those sweet, tender, and insinuating ones,
which spring out of the love of God, and the
compassion of the Mediator, he has entirely
left out. Well informed deists will own, that
their writers seem far more zealous in exclaim-
51
ing against superstition, than in urging the
motives to. the practice of natural religion,
which even natural religion affords: but these
are unspeakably inferior in number, strength,
and clearness to those of Christianity.
SECTION VIII.
The Characters which the New Testament u designed
to form.
VV e naturally judge of a system by its tendency
and effects ; and determine from these, whether
it be good or bad. By this rule let the gospel
be tried. Its principles we have traced. Let
us now enquire what kind of character they
are calculated to produce : and how they will
appear when drawn out into real life. The for-
mation of character by a system is, as it were,
the sum of the principles collected into a focus,
and displaying their united energy in the tem-
per and conduct.
If I may express the whole in a few words ;
such as Jesus Christ was when he dwelt on
earth, such it is the design of the New Testa-
ment that his disciples should be : and such it
is their aim to be.
But to descend to particulars, and take a fuller
view of the subject ; the christian is one who
d2
m
bates evil, and follows what is good. He ha?
a constant regard to the frame of his heart, and
is intent on the destruction of every sinful dis-
position .\ not one is tolerated. He loves God
supremely., and it is the great business of his
life to please God, in preference to his own in-
clinations, and the will of others. Gratitude
for daily favours o'lows within his breast. It is
his meat and drink to do the will of God, and
to keep his commandments: and in the midst
of affliction he submits to the dispensations of
his Providence, as infinitely wise and good.
To Jesus as his Saviour he constantly looks,
and depends on him for the blessings of redemp-
tion : the example of Jesus he sets continually
before his eyes, and endeavours, with perse-
vering assiduity, to follow his steps.
At the same time, he regards himself as a
member of the vast community of intelligent
creatures upon earth ; he feels himself among
brethren ; and he loves his neighbour as him-
self.— He prefers the general good to individual
benefit : he acts with rectitude in every situa-
tion ; and conscientiously performs all relative
duties, whether domestic, political, or religi-
ous. He pities the miserable : he is ready to
relieve the indigent : he forgives his enemies :
he returns good for evil, and blessing for curs-
ing. In the exercise of benevolence is his de-
light : his affection extends to the whole human
race. CountVy, language, religion, colour.
63
arc pot its limits : it is bounded by human na-
ture alone: and wherever he finds a human
being, there He sees a brother, whose happi-
ness he rejoices to promote. As the noblest
part of man is the soul, its eternal felicity is his
great concern.
While he feels thus for others, none can. ac-
cuse him of neglecting his own concerns.. Di-
ligence, Yectitiide, and fidelity, mark his ha-
bitual conduct : Humility, purity, content-
ment, moderation, sanctity, peace of mind,
and joy reign in his heart. There is besides a
heroism about him which has something di-
vine. He has learnt to be stedfast.in goodness ;
to proceed in the path of integrity and benevo-
lence, unshaken by temptation, contempt, op-
position; and to follow what is good, though
alone in the way. He is willing, to submit to
every privation, to undergo the most painful
sufferings, and to endure death itself in the
most horrid form, rather than swerve from the
path of duty, or renounce the principles of
truth and goodness.
I feel that I sink beneath the weight of at-
tempting to delineate the character of a chris-
tian, and am ashamed to present so poor a
sketch: but the excellence of the thing will
compensate for the defect of the representation.
Examine it ; and then ask yourselves : " Where
else shall we meet with such a design." Ma-
homet, in a bungling way, pilfering from the
.54
New Testament ? attempted something of are-
semblance ; but he failed : his dispositions
spoiled the whole. The Koran forms enthusi-
astic warriors for the faith, to shed the blood of
infidels, or compel them to come into the
butchers, rather than the shepherd's, fold ; and
the slaves of sensual joys both in this life and
that which is to come. The legislators of the
pagan world, though some of them pretended
to divine revelation, had very different thoughts
and views from the apostles of Christ. Lycur-
gus, seemingly a man of strong nerves, and a
daring spirit, aimed by his code to make the
Spartans courageous and hardy soldiers, de-
lighting in war. Another wished to inure the
people to labour, and to cultivate the earth.
A third sought to teach them to excel in com-
merce. A fourth studied to raise them to su-
perior skill in arts, and sciences, and civiliza-
tion. But to form men of such a character as
has been delineated, never entered into the
mind of any but the writers of the New Tes-
tament, with the sole exception of Moses and
the prophets, who composed the first volume
of this book, and who were animated with the
same spirit. How high does this raise the
scriptures above every other book ! Can we
conceive it possible that imposture lurks be-
hind such a design ? — The idea of such a cha-
racter is not only opposite to the dispositions of
bad men, but beyond the capacity even of
good men, and gives reason to conclude that it
comes from God.
But the character, it may be said, is merely
ideal. No: Jesus exemplified all that he re-
quired his disciples to be : and they, according
to their measure, followed his steps. Such men
were Peter, and John, and James, and Paul,
and thousands more. Imperfections in them
we can discover, and the marks of infirmity
amidst the sudden gusts of temptation : but all
the divine principles enumerated above, reigned
in their hearts, habitually regulated their tem-
per, and shone forth in their conduct. The
blemishes we discover in them, are like the
clouds flying along the sky in a summer's day,
which now and then obscure the sun : but their
path was like that of the just, shining more and
more unto the perfect day. There have been
myriads of the same spirit in every succeeding
age. There are myriads still, whose highest
and wdiose constant end in life is to realize and -
exhibit the character of a christian. But wick-
edness is noisy . goodness does not strive nor
cry. The lightning and the thunder of Hea-
ven attract universal notice by their glare and
roaring : The sun moves quietly on his course,
and diffuses his blessings in silence.
£6
SECTION IX.
The Happiness vMch results from the htfluaice of the
Gospel, in forming such Characters,
Ihe importance of the truths contained in the
former section will appear more clearly, if we
consider the influence which the prevalence
of such a character will have on human happi-
ness. That in the individual who is moulded
into it, it will produce tranquillity, satisfaction,
and peace resulting from the hope of the friend-
ship of God, from the banishment of evil pas-
sions, and from the exercise of holy affections
and the noblest principles, every competent
judge of human nature will readily grant. Let
all the members cf a family be animated by
these sentiments and dispositions : it becomes
the abode of love and joy. A town full of cz-
tizens of this description is a holy brotherhood^
where harmony reigns ; and a reciprocation of
kind offices renders neighbourhood and social
intercourse unspeakably pleasing. Were a
country filled with such inhabitants, it would
exhibit such a scene of felicity as the world
never yet beheld. All would perform the diu
ties of their station with fidelity, and would
exhibit integrity in their dealings, and would
seek the general good, and make private give
57
way to public benefit. There would be peace,
and union, and abundance, and contentment,
and the love of order, and veneration for the
institutions of* societv. Tvrannv, insubordi-
nation, and anarchy, would be unknown.
O that Europe were full of people of this
character ! There would be a strife who would
be the first in proposing an end to war, and
have the honour of soliciting reconciliation.
Peace would be easily made ; for pride, ava-
rice, ambition, revenge, the love of glory,
and the lust of domination, would have no vote
in the congress. Rectitude, benevolence, and
compassion for the miserable, sitting alone in
council, would bring the negociation to a
speedy close. They would all embrace as
brethren ; and it would be easy to live in peace,
because the seeds of war in the human heart
are destroyed.
But mere abstinence from injury would not
satisfy men of such a spirit. No longer pos-
sessed with the evil demon, falsely called pa-
triotism, which taught and impelled them to
seek the exaltation of their own country on the
ruin of others, they would feel it a duty and a
pleasure to promote the prosperity and happi-
ness of each other.. Instead of proving, as has
hitherto been the case, a curse, nations would
be a blessing to each other;, and, in the spirit
' of the gospel, love a neighbouring country as
their own. When any of those causes oecurred
D 3
58
which have hitherto, alas! deluged the fields
of Europe with blood, christian love, mutual
forbearance, forgiveness of injuries, returning
good for evil, and requiting insults by benefits,
would tie the bonds of peace and amity closer
and stronger than they were before.
But still more widely is the influence of
these divine principles felt. Asia, Africa, and
America, rejoice at the change in the sons of
Europe. Instead of beholding strangers grasp-
ing at every advantage, and pursuing by every
means an increase of power and commerce,
they find men who act as brothers ; who are as
forward to confer benefits, as to receive them ;
nay more anxious to do them good, than to
possess their wealth. They are astonished at
the pleasing alteration ; and they conclude that
principles which lead men to act thus, must be
from God. While benevolent Europeans la-
bour to do them good, and to make them hap-
py, they eagerly enquire, " Whence proceeds
this remarkable change ? Formerly you were
a curse, and we viewed you with dread.
Pur gold, our territory, our very persons,
you snatched away. Now you are a blessing:
your highest end is to confer benefits upon
us. Whence did you derive these principles,
which have indeed made you new crea-
tures?"
" Read this book," the Europeans reply,
putting the New Testament into their hands,
59
" we have translated it into your tongue, that
you may, like us, derive from the perusal,
wisdom, goodness, and felicity. " — They ea-
gerly snatch the book : they read it : they too
are made wise unto salvation: and the happi-
ness it imparts is enjoyed throughout the world.
Arms become useless : magazines are opened ;
arsenals are emptied. u Let not our eyes,"
they say, " any more behold the heart-rending
sight. Convert these huge- cannons into in-
struments of husbandry ; these destructive
balls into mattocks and shovels : beat these
swords into plough-shares, and these spears
into pruning hooks." Mankind live in
peace. Extended intercourse produces increas-
ing affection. Wherever man meets man, he
meets a brother : love to God, and love to men
reigning in the heart, generate every where
righteousness, harmony, benevolence, and joy.
Can principles, so directly tending to felicity,
and producing it in every form, spring from
imposture, and from the hearts of bad men ?
Satan's kingdom would be divided against itself,
and must fall. Characters so formed, do they
not proclaim their original to be from above,
and not from beneath ? Does not the scheme
announce its author to be the infinitely merci-
ful and gracious God, who delights in the hap-
piness of his creatures, and who has framed it
with such wisdom, that it suits every relation,
and renders, at once, the individual and the
60
world happy? Will it be said, this is a mere
Utopian dream"? It will be granted, however,
that it is a pleasing one. But is it not the na-
tural result of the influence of the principles
of the gospel on the heart ? Nor, to him who
believes the scriptures, is it an imaginary state
of things which has been described. The faint
representation which has been attempted, is
consonant to the predictions of the Old and New
Testament, which plainly foretel and describe,
in the most glowing and lovely colours, the
full establishment of knowledge, goodness, and
felicity over the face of the whole earth, by the
establishment of the gospel of Jesus Christ, in
the hearts of men. Isaiah, chap. li. and xi.
Micah. iv. Rev. xx. — I ask no more, but that
von would thoroughly weigh the subject, and
throw its just weight into the scale of evidence.
SECTION X.
There is every thing in the New Testament * -which a Re*
relation from God may be expected to contain.
[Before God has given a revelation of his will,
for a man to say, precisely, what it will contain,
would be just as absurd as for an angel before
the creation of the earth which we inhabit, to
have attempted to describe what kind of a
61
world God would make. When it is created,
lie may form an accurate idea of it : and may
clearly perceive the wisdom, power, and good-
ness of God, displayed in its formation, and in
its various parts. It is thus in respect to divine
revelation. The wisest of the human race must
have groped in the dark hefore it was given,
and could form no distinct view of its nature.
Every sober enquirer now may discover clearly
how well it suits the necessities of man ; and
how much it manifests the perfections of God,
and is calculated to promote his glory.
Every thing necessary for us to know, is here
revealed. God instructs us in his nature and
excellencies. Various books have made pre-
tensions to a divine origin ; but there is not so
much said of God, nor is there so full and en-
larged a view of God in them all, as in the
New Testament alone. Human nature is deli-
neated in all its parts, in all its principles, and
in all its wants. The character of Christ fur-
nishes a model for the imitation of every in-
telligent being. The doctrines of a mediator,
and redemption through him, present a remedy
for the wants and miseries of mankind ; and
open the way to everlasting blessedness. In
the precepts of the gospel there is a full and
perfect rule of temper and conduct. A future
state is unveiled, and we are presented with a
view both of the happiness of the righteous,
and of the misery of the wicked : and in addi-
62
tion to this, every motive which can influence
the heart, is set before us in all its force.
In short, there is nothing of value which men
need to know, but is here taught. I .will not
say there is nothing we can desire ; for we may
desire to know many things which are not re-
vealed. But I will confidently assert, that every
thing which sober reason can say it is neces-
sary for us to know, in order to the direction
of our conduct, and to the real comfort of a
present state of being, is here revealed with
inimitable simplicity, purity, and precision.
An inattentive reader of the New Testament
may say, " what is all this to the purpose: and
what proof does it afford of a divine revelation ?"
But the judicious and reflecting enquirer who
is in search of principles, and who is deter-
mined to examine with care whatever professes
to be a revelation from God, will not satisfy
himself with asking, " What external evidence
" is there of its divinity ;" — but in the first
place, " What are the things which it contains,
and delivers as heavenly truths, that I may
know what it is, which the evidence is to con-
firm." This is the proper method of pro-
ceeding : and whoever will take the pains to
search profoundly into the principles which have
been presented to view : and survey them in
their light, sanctity, extent, and fullness; and
give due weight to the consideration, that there
is every thing in them necessary to the perfec-
63
tion of human nature in goodness and felicity,
will see abundant reason to conclude, that they
are worthy of an infinitely excellent Being to
reveal, that they carry with them a presump-
tion of their divine original, and if they be ac-
companied with external evidence, are to be
embraced as a revelation from Heaven.
CHAPTER ir.
OF THE EVIDENCE FOR THE DIVINE AUTHORITY OF THE
NEW TESTAMENT, ARISING FROM CONSIDERATIONS
SUGGESTED BY ITS CONTENTS,
1 he preceding chapter presents a system of re-
ligious principles, with which everyone should
be well acquainted, who means to study, with
advantage, the evidences of Christianity. They
indeed themselves form a body of evidence,
of which those who are in quest of truth from
pure motives, will feel the force in no ordinary
decree. For want of the knowledge of these
principles, many valuable treatises have been
read with little effect. But when the nature cf
Christianity is understood, its excellence seen,
and its importance felt> there is a field pre-
pared by previous cultivation for the reception,
of the seed of evidence, w'hich, there is reason
to believe, will spring up> and bring forth fruit
abundantly unto everlasting life. So long as
the mind is ignorant of the principles of the
gospel, reading on its evidences is like sowing
on the highway, or on a rock.
Besides the evidences arising from the doc-
trines of the gospel, there are some considera-
tions closely connected with them, and sug-
gested by the contents, spirit, structure, and
*ign of the New Testament, which merit
particular attention. If they do not of them-
selves amount to a full proof that it is divine,
they at least render it plain, that it is the most
inordinary book which was ever written :
ihey strengthen the presumption in its favour j
and they lay a still stranger and surer founda-
tion for external evidence to rest upon.
SECTION I.
The New Testament conveys mere Improvement to the
Mind than any other Book.
AIost of the men who composed this book,
spent their early days in manual employments,
They lived about three years with Christ, as
his disciples, After his death they became
teachers of his religion ; and they wrote the
New Testament. The Grecian philosophers,
and some Romans, spent all their days in the
pursuits of literature ; and in the acquisition of
knowledge. They also wrote books. On a
comparison, judging merely from the charac-
ter of the writers, which may be expected to
excel \ — Can it be a question ? Can any imagine
these unlettered Jews capable of writing a book
to be even named after the works of men of
such exalted, genius as the Grecian sages ? But
let both he examined with impartiality ; and it
66
will be found, that with respect to real infor-
mation and knowledge, the New Testament is
as far above the best heathen writings, as the
heavens are above the earth. It may indeed
be justly asserted, that the New Testament,
connected with the Old, here stands alone ;
and has neither equal, nor second. The know-
ledge it conveys concerning God, his perfec-
tions and government ; concerning man, his
nature, duty, and happiness ; concerning the
present world, and a future state of retribu-
tion ; in short, concerning every object which
it is important for us to be acquainted with, is
unequalled.
The ideas are most excellent, most abun-
dant, and expressed with clearness and sim-
plicity. The imagination may be more enter-
tained with the decorations of fancy in other
books ; the taste may be more gratified with
elegant composition ; but no where else is there
such a mass of interesting truths, on every sub-
ject which concerns man as a citizen of this
world, and as an immortal creature. In both
these respects the New Testament contains the
greatest measure of mental improvement ; and
tends to make men not only more pious and
moral than all other books can, but likewise
more rational and wise.
The argument will derive still more weight
from the consideration, that the whole mass of
truth in the gospel is not discerned at once.
67
From the day when it was written to the pre-
•sent time, every age has found out something
new. During* the two last centuries, how many
important discoveries have been made of latent
truths, which are now clear as the light of day.
Nor is the mine exhausted. From the same
field, wise and good men will by persevering
research continue to present their precious and
ample treasures, as the reward of pious indus-
try.
If any thing more be thought necessary to
produce a conviction of its superior excel-
lence, let it be compared with other books.
I need not say, " compare it with the Koran :"
for the good ideas there are borrowed from the
New Testament. Or shall I say, compare it ?
and you will perceive the man of Mecca
often corrupting what he pilfers, defiling it
with prejudices and passions, while it passes
through his mind, and blending it with his own
absurd reveries. I need not compare it with
the books of christian writers ; because they
glory in having derived their sentiments from
the code of their religion. You urge me to
compare it with the writings of modern deists.
put the comparison would be unfair. They
borrowed their ideas of moral truths from the
New Testament : they lighted their taper at
the fire of this sun. If you can point out one
good principle in them, which is not contained
in it, there will then, and not till then, be room
6$
to boast. ~ But compare them if you will; lam
not afraid of the issue. — The just line of com-
parison is with the most celebrated books, in
the eastern and western parts of the world, be-
fore the coming of Christ, Let the sages of
Greece and Rome ; let the votaries of Brahma,
and of Foy produce their sacred books for a.
critical inspection on this point. I am con-
fident that every fair opponent will, without a
moment's hesitation, give the palm to the men
of Galilee..
But whence comes it to pass, that these un-
lettered men should be able to write the best,,
the most instructive book which the world con-
tains ; and that none since, in any country or
age, have been able to improve upon it, or
write a better ? Some adequate cause must be
assigned.. Those who, instead of a satisfac-
tory answer, would laugh, and ridicule the
book, must retire from the field occupied by
fair reasoned*,, and respectable antagonists, to
the ground allotted to the unreputable carps of
buffoons. When they are gone, let the others
judge, who acts the wisest part, — the opponent
of the gospel,, who rejects the most improving
book that was ever wrritten ? or the christian
who receives it, and accounts for its pre-emi-
nence, from its being written by the inspira-
tion of infinite wisdom ? ,
«9
SECTION II.
There arc no false Principles in the Neiv Testament.
When I read the writings of those ancient
historians, orators, poets, or philosophers,
which are so highly celebrated as to form the
text-books of modern education, I am grieved
to see the multitude of false principles with
which they abound. Ambition is fostered and
recommended : the love of fame encouraged :
military glory is displayed before the youthful
throng, in the most fascinating colours: and
those are represented as the first of human
kind, who bear away the laurels from the en-
sanguined field. Literary pride is fanned, and
incense offered to adepts in science. Admira-
tion of wealth and distinction is generated ; and
the profanum vulgus (the poor people) is pointed
at as an object of hatred or contempt.
From these revered, may I not add idolized
authors, I turn to the New Testament ; and I
find myself in a new world. What a difference
>of mind and heart ! A spark of the same spirit
I do not perceive: I cannot discover one false
principle from beginning to end. If it be said,
I am a partial judge, I challenge the acutest un-
believer to peruse the book with this view.
Let him point out one falsa principle stated
with approbation, or recommended to imita-
tion ; and I will give up its claim to divine au-
thoritv. But no such thins: is to be found.
Here is a remarkable phenomenon which
must be accounted for by deists, in a satisfac-
tory manner. Will it be said, " They were
Jews?" But does this remove the difficulty ?
How came they to be wiser than other people ?
Merely their being Jews, will not solve the dif-
ficulty. Josephus was a Jew. He lived nearly
at the same time with the writers of the New
Tesiament. But in " The Antiquities of his na-
tion" and in his " History of the Warwitkthe
Romans" it is easy to detect a considerable
number of false principles. Philo, his cotem-
porary, is chargeable with the same faults.
The talmuds, the productions of the most
learned Rabbi's of a following age, are still
worse.
But what is more remarkable, we do not
find a freedom from false principles in christian
writers, though thev derived their ideas of
truth and duty from the New Testament.
Commentaries have been written on this book
in almost every age. With a pure text before
them, they have had every advantage for fur-
nishing the world with a pure comment : but
they do not succeed. In the ancient fathers,
how easy is it to perceive the false principles
of converted pagans and philosophers. In lat-
71
ter ages, the false principles of the Feudal
system often rise before our eyes. Every com-
mentary of the last century, without excep-
tion, though it was more enlightened than any
preceding, will furnish the attentive reader with
many examples of the same thing. How ex-
traordinary must this appear to the adept in mo-
ral science ! Some fishermen of Galilee wrote a
book, in which not one false principle is to be
found. There is no other book, in which they
are not to be found. We find them crowded
in the wisest of the ancient heathens. They
are to be found in cotemporary and succeed-
ing Jews. They are to be found in christian
commentators, from the days of the apostles to
the present time. Nor would the most en-
lightened disciples of Jesus, who now adorn
his church, be able wholly to escape the same
censure. " Were they to attempt to write a
history like that of the gospel, how many errors
should we find, and how many faults !
Let him who rejects the New Testament,
assign a reason for this. Will he say, " Though
christians have not been able to write a book
without interspersing false principles, a Hume,
a Gibbon, a Voltaire, a Rousseau, could with
ease accomplish it r" May not a christian with
justice retort, " What they could do, is best
known by what they have done r" But do we
not perceive in them, false principles, and evil
dispositions without number? Were this a
treatise, and not a sketch, how easy would it be
to bring them forward justifying a disregard of
Cod and of his worship, and patronizing or re-
commending pride, ambition, sensuality, aeon-
tempt of others, &c. &c. &c. It will, indeed,
be obvious to the most inadvertent observer,
that no standard of moral sentiments and con-
duct is lower than theirs. Still, then, the New
Testament stands alone, and without a rival.
Divine inspiration will account for its supe-
riority and singularity. Let him, who will not
allow this, assign a more satisfactor}' reason.
SECTION III.
The Nev: Testament is in direct Opposition to every
depraved Principle in Human Nature.
Laws, it has been asserted, must be suited to
the dispositions and manners of the people for
whom the}' are made. Divine rectitude scorns
the idea. Let laws, it says, be perfectly good,
however bad the persons for whom they are de-
signed. The former is, indeed, the dictate of
human policy ; and men, guided by no higher
principles, have acted according to it, both in
ancient and modern times. This was the *
73
dom of the ancient legislators among the hea-
thens : and many in modern times have laughed
loud at the folly of attempting to give a perfect
code of laws, to an imperfect and depraved na-
tion. The religion which the legislators of old
blended in their system, was of a piece with
their laws ; and was designed to be sweet to
the taste of their vicious countrymen. It re-
quired few sacrifices, and those not painful : it
indulged eager appetites, and heated passions.
Mahomet acted on the same principles. How-
gratifying are many of his maxims to flesh and
blood ! To be allowed to retain and to cherish
evil dispositions in the heart, and yet be on the
road to paradise, is beyond measure delicious
to every lover of iniquity. We are not to
wonder, if such systems were received without
a struggle, by those to whom they were pro-
posed. Is this the cause, that the Koran is
more respectfully spoken of by many modern
deists, than the New Testament? They will
at least own, that none of their party have ever
appeared the advocates for an austere mora-
lity.
But here is a religion which declares open
war, and irreconcilable enmity with every evil
disposition in the human heart. It tolerates
1 none : it denounces an anathema against all.
Of the most odious sins, disobedience to pa-
rents, dishonesty, injustice, murder, and adul-
74-
tery, it speaks with abhorrence : it says they
ought not even to be named among christians.
But this is not all : it descends into the heart ;
it puts forth its hand and plucks out everyxroot
of bitterness which, springing up, would pol-
lute the soul, and defile the life. Many prin-
ciples which the world approves, as ambition,
the eager pursuit of wealth, fondness for plea-
sure, pride, envy, revenge, contempt of others,
emulation, the gospel condemns. These the
world considers on many occasions to be
harmless, in some commendable : Christianity
condemns them all, in every form and degree.
It forbids the indulgence of them even in
thought; and commands the desire to be
strangled in its birth. Neither the hands, the
tongue, the head, nor the heart, must be guilty
of one iniquity. However much the world
may applaud the heroic ambition of one, the
love of glory in another, the successful pur-
suits of affluence in a third, the high-minded
pride, the glowing patriotism which would
compel all the neighbouring nations to bow the
neck, the steady pursuit of revenge for injuries
received, and a sovereign contempt of the rude
and ignoble vulgar ; Christianity condemns
them all, and enjoins the disciples of Jesus to
crucify them without reluctance, and without
delay. Not one is to be spared, though dear
as a right-eye, for use or pleasure; or even ne-
for defence or labour.
While t on the destruction of
evil principli sxercisc of the opposite dis-
positions, humility, contentment, meekness,
charity, forgiveness, perfection, &c. is strictly
enjoined. As a specimen, read the words of
the book itself. Matt. y. 43, 44, 45, 43. " Ye
.' heard that it hath been said, Thou shall
love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy : but
I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them
that curse you, do good to them that hate you,
and pray for them which despitefully use you,
and persecute you ; that ye may be the children
of your father in heaven : for he maketh his sun
to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth
rain on the just and on the unjust. Be ye therefore
feet, even as your father, which is in heaven
is perfect." Rom. xii. 20, 21. " Dearly be-
loved, avenge not yourselves: but if thine
enemy hunger, feed him ; if he thirst, give him
drink : for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of
tire upon his head. Be not overcome of ei
but overcome evil with good." 1 Peter, iii. 2.
" Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for
railing ; but, contrariwise blessing ; knowing
that ye are thereunto called, that ye should in-
herit a blessing."
What a system of opposition to evil, and of
the purest goodness, is here ! To what source
U we trace it ? From beneath, such divine
E 2
76
sentiments cannot come. Nor do they grow
on earth: They spring not from the human
heart ; for no such seeds have been sown there.
Will it be thought unreasonable if I should
say, " They must have come down from
tieaven?"
SECTION IV.
Men never get before the New Testament.
xor centuries past, the world has been in a
state of gradual improvement, which is still in*
creasing with accelerated rapidity. Ancient
ages, even the most renowned, we have far
outstripped in every useful science : and by
means of modern discoveries, their most famous
books are found extremely deficient. Within
the limits of the eighteenth century, this has
been remarkably the case. How many trea-
tises regarded as master pieces, at the begin-
ning, were looked upon as antiquated, before
the end. When we consider the intense appli-
cation of thousands of enlightened and highly
cultivated minds, all in quest of new discover
ries, and all endeavouring to improve on what
was written before, we shall not wonder at this
advancement.
77
We are naturally led to enquire, how it is in
reference to religion ^ and whether the New
Testament stands its ground. A full propor-
tion of learned men have applied themselves to
the study of the principles of religion and mo-
rals, and to those sciences connected with
them, which have respect to moral obligation
and privilege. But have any of them out-
stripped the New Testament, as the moderns
have outstripped the ancient philosophers?
Have they found out any part of the character
of God which it dees not display; or any duty
which it does not inculcate ? — No : after all
their researches, and with all the additional
knowledge of eighteen centuries, they have
not moved a step before it. Nay, they may
perceive the New Testament is still before
them.
In these latter times, many conceive that
considerable progress has been made in the
knowledge of that part of morals which re-
spects individual, and domestic, but especially
national relations. After having viewed these
pretensions, which profess to have their basis
fixed on the principles of eternal justice, let us
turn to the New Testament, and examine if
these men have outstripped it. But we find
there all these noble sentiments, the force and
extent of which were not perceived before, that
are applicable to what is good in them, and to
those things which are really improvements y
&nd countenancing and enjoinin-g them by the
spirit of the gospel. Is it not astonishing,
that whenever any useful discovery in moral
science has been made, it is found that the New
Testament contains it, though unnoticed be-
fore ? This has been the case from century to
century : it is so still : and, no doubt, there are
many divine principles of morals in this book,
which the progress in knowledge, of this and
future ages, will enable men to perceive.
But whence comes this peculiar quality ?
The vast comprehensive knowledge of the
Spirit of God who indited it, can alone be as-
signed as a rational, and satisfactory cause. If
Christianity had been the invention of men, it
would have shared the fate of all other systems
of the like origin : The improvements of mo-
dern times would have left it far behind.
This has been the case with all the pagan
religions. A person in the present age, who
had written on theological subjects, though of
moderate abilities, instead of considering it as
a compliment, would think himself grossly in-
sulted, if you were to say to him, " I admire
your book : your ideas of God and religion are
fully on a level with the Grecian mythology,
the Indian Shasters, and the system of Confu-
cius." Nor would he think that justice was
done him, unless it were granted, that he had
surpassed the Koran of Mahomet, in his re-
presentations of truth and duty. But the plain
79
/:
•rate fishermen, publicans, and tent-ma-
kers of Judea and Galilee, after the lapse of
eighteen centuries, are still masters in religion
and morals. No man in all that time has stepped
one foot before them. — Let those who will not
allow that th y were taught of God, assign a
satisfactory reason for their pre-eminence.
SECTION V.
The Fulness of the New Testament.
The world is filled with books, and great num-
bers of them are excellent. How many men
of the first talents have written admirably on
the subject of religion ! Every age can boast of
its celebrated authors, who have consecrated
themselves to the instruction of mankind. I
have read many of them with pleasure and im-
provement : but I find, that, when I have gone
through them three or four times, I have gain-
ed ali their ideas. In spite of me they become
flat and uninteresting, and I am obliged to lay
m aside ; for I can no longer read them wifh
pleasure.
But the New Testament forms an exception
to this rule. I have read many parts of it, hun-
dreds of times: and caa read them a^ain to-
o
80
morrow, with equal relish as at first. Whenever
I peruse it with serious attention, I discover
something new , and the more attentively and
devoutly I do so, I discover the more : and new
ideas spring out of the words and subject, and
enrich my mind. Besides, I am never weary
of reading it : It presents new charms to me
every day : and like bread made of the finest
of the wheat, it is always agreeable to the taste.
The more I read, the more I love it: and the
more intimate my acquaintance, the stronger
is my affection for it. I have my favourite au-
. thors on religion ; and I frequently peruse them.
They are men of genius, learning, and piety.
But they are only children, in comparison of
the fishermen of Galilee : and I find a fulness
and sweetness in their writings, which the
others do not possess.
Whence comes this astonishing difference ?
Allow the New Testament to be written by in-
spiration ; and the reason will be easily assign-
ed. The Holy Spirit of God, whose under-
standing is infinite, can put such a number of
ideas into a book, as it shall unspeakably sur-
pass the power of man to do, which shall one
after another appear to the pious reader, and
amply reward his researches. He can likewise
so fill the book with good, as well as with truth,
that it shall delight the heart, as well as enlighten
the mind, and have such undescribable charms,
81
that it shall be always sweet, and fill the soul
with the highest degree of mental pleasure. To
these causes I ascribe its astonishing fulness.
But how will ye who call the New Testament
a common book, or a forgery, account for this
singularity ? To deny the fact, will not avail.
The observation before us has been made by
thousands of persons, both illiterate, and learn-
ed, in every age : and against such a mass
of evidence, the assertion of those who have
read, merely with a view to find fault and to
condemn, will not weigh much in the balance
of impartial reason. The testimony of bats and
owls, to the loveliness of the gloom of night,
and against the beauty of the light of the sun,,
would not be heard in opposition to the unani-
mous declaration of the inhabitants of the earth,
and of the air, to the contrary. But ought I
to use such a comparison ? My design is not to
irritate, but to convince ; not to triumph over
an enemy, but to reclaim a friend and a bro-
ther, who, to my grief, has gone astray ; and
to lead his feet into the way of peace.
E3
8£
SECTION VI.
The Sche?ne of the Divine Government, as represented
in the New Testament, is vast and extensive.
W hile the past and the present occupy a cer-
tain portion of oar thoughts and time, it is na-
tural to look into futurity, and to conjecture
what will come to pass. How often has this
been the theme of the most ingenious writers 1
But we observe in them the attributes of man.
Their plans of the divine conduct in the regu-
lation of human affairs are extremely limited in
extent; and they seem in haste for the execu-
tion. Beyond a century, or two at most, their
views scarcely ever extend for the accomplish-
ment of their plans: more commonly they are
comprised within a still narrower space. They
are eager to see their expectations realized ;
and often place the event within such a period,,
that they may have the satisfaction of witness-
ing it.
How different is the disposition of the writers
of the New Testament I They present to us a
view of the divine government; but the fore-
mentioned peculiarities are not to be found.
The plan embraces a vast variety of objects :
It advances by what we would call very slow de-
grees ; It comprises within its grasp sorAe thou-
S3
sands of years. It gives time for every thing.
The prophets of the Old Testament allowed
four thousand years to elapse before the coming
of the Messiah. The Apostles of Christ assign
twelve hundred and sixty years to the dominion
of Anti-christ, from his rise to his fall, — a du-
ration of which, no other class of men were
ever able to bear the thought. After this im-
mense space, Christianity, they say, will over-
come all opposition, and be universal on the
earth.
How much this scheme resembles the course
both of the natural and the moral world, must
be obvious to all. Plants spring gradually from
seed : trees grow still more slowly ^ and ages
pass on before some of them arrive at maturity.
In man, as an individual, the progress of im-
provement is far from rapid ; In communities it
is still slower. How many centuries roll on,
before a nation passes from a barbarous state to
a high degree of civilization. — It must be al-
lowed to be, at least, an extraordinary circum-
stance, that the New Testament should, in this
respect, differ so materially from all other
books ; and that it should, at the same time, so
perfectly accord with the actual state of the di-
vine government. The degree of weight in it
is submitted to the consideration of the reader.
g*****£*^*«*
84
SECTION VII.
The Appearances and Tendency of the Moral World
confirm the Principles of Christianity.
There is a pleasing concord in the operations
of the Supreme Being. The Governor of the
world will not act contrary to its Creator ; nor
the Benefactor of the human race, to the Go*
vernor of the universe. If Christianity be a
religion from God, it will correspond with the
works of God, and appear in harmony with his
government of the world. Sir Isaac Newton
framed a system of philosophy, and recorded
the laws of nature, as written by the finger of
God, upon the broad tables of the heavens and
the earth. After the lapse of a century, the
motions of the celestial bodies, and the various
operations and revolutions which he described,
correspond with his system. This correspon-
dence, is considered as an evidence of its pro-
bability, some will say, of its certain truth.
In like manner should the state, order, and ten-
dency of things in the moral world, corre-
spond with the gospel of Christ, will it not
strongly evince the probability of its being,
what it professes to be, " of divine authority ?'*
Eighteen centuries have elapsed since its pro-
mulgation ; and we may search in the full trea-
85
aures of experience, with a certainty of finding
either an evident confutation of its pretensions,
or a strong presumption of its truth.
Christianity professes to be the true religion.
True religion is the art of happiness taught by
God himself. Christ says that " the weary and
heavy-laden shall find in him rest to their
souls; and that his yoke is easy, and his burden
is light." Matt. xi. 28 — 30. He likewise pro-
mises an unceasing happiness, as the certain
accompaniment of increasing attention to his
gospel, and conformity to his will, and imita-
tion of his example. Of the truth and reality
of this, christians are indeed the only compe-
tent judges. They find wisdom's ways to be
ways of pleasantness, and her paths peace ;
and their happiness to be augmented in propor-
tion to their activity in glorifying God, and
doing good to men. — But even to the ene-
mies of the gospel we can here appeal, as they
are able to give their testimony, which like-
wise issues in its favour. You can perceive that
integrity of heart and life, that the perform-
ance of relative duties, and, in a more eminent
degree, that philanthropy, actively engaged in
lessening the miseries, and augmenting the en-
joyments of all around, brings with it a consi-
derable degree of felicity. Did you but know
the working of humility, of meekness, of gen-
tleness, of forgiveness of injuries, of love to
the souls of men, and, above all, of love to
86
God and the Redeemer ; and did you feel the
energy and goodness of the principles of the
gospel, from which they flow, you would rea-
dily acknowledge that the religion of Jesus pro-*
duces in the soul the highest measure of hap-
piness which is to he enjoyed on earth. — The
other part of the argument is more plain : dis-
regard of religion, or, in other words, wick-
edness, is followed by misery. Every evil dis-
position has ci sting which pierces the heart :
and the indulgence of vicious passions strips the
soul of real enjoyment. Pride, avarice, sen-
suality, hatred, malice, envy, revenge, and
forgetfulness of God, are all enemies to the
felicity of man: They rob the soul of tran-
quillity, and they fill it with uneasiness and
distress.
In proportion to the degree of goodness, or
of wickedness, is the degree of happiness, or
of misery which men feel. The winged acti-
vity of the disciple pf Jesus, in adoring his
God and Saviour, and doing good to men, en-
larges the spirit of piety and benevolence,
gives a higher relish to the pleasure of con-
ferring benefits, and renders him more blessed
in his deeds. On the other hand, the more a
man increases in wickedness, the more miser-
able he grows. His evil passions boil over in
his words and actions, and make all who are a-
round him wretched : but his own soul feels the
torment most.
87
The tendency of these, both as to the years
of life which are to come, and likewise to a
future state, is just the same. " Light is sown
for the righteous ; and gladness for the up-
right in heart.'" " But there is no peace to
the wicked." Still brighter prospects are
presented to the christian, as he advances in
the path of faith and holiness *,' tfnd confirm the
declaration, that LC the path of the just is as the
morning light, which shineth more and more
unto the perfect day." A continued tendency
of an increase of happiness till death, gives
the highest probability of a still greater acces-
sion in a future state. On the other hand, no-
thing is more evident than that wickedness pre-
sents no other prospect, but that of being
wretched both here and hereafter. The slave
of vice till old age, becomes a perfect demon ;
and is fit for nothing but the misery of another
world, which the gospel describes as the pu-
nishment of those who reject it.
If we extend our views from the individual to
the community, we find " that righteousness
exalteth a nation ;" and that sin is its disgrace
and ruin. The prevalence of pure religion in
its principles and acts, promotes the public
welfare in the highest degree, diffuses social
felicity far and wide, and tends to a continual
increase. While, on the other hand, a disre-
gard and opposition to religion, which is but
another name for wickedness, is productive of
88
the worst of evils to a kingdom: it lessens
their enjoyments ; and tends to a constant ac-
cumulation of misery. The deep laid plans
of unrighteous policy, which promise the most
extensive and lasting advantages, prove unsub-
stantial as the spider's web, become a source of
bitterness to the contrivers, and issue in na-
tional distress and calamity. These are laws of
nature, or shall we not rather say, of the Su-
preme Ruler, which confirm by their execu-
tion, the revelation of Jesus Christ ; and dis-
play the effects and consequences of his re-
ligion.
There is a still more extensive tendency in
the divine government, which, as belonging to
the present subject, ought not to pass unnoticed.
The gospel speaks of the melioration of the
state of mankind, which after a lapse of ages
is to be produced by the influence of its prin-
ciples and precepts. By appearances in the
moral world, these hopes are cherished and
confirmed. The man who will compare the
present state of society in England, in Holland,
and in France, with that which subsisted in them
about three hundred years ago, will perceive a
most rapid progress : and the vast machine is
moving with accelerated speed. There are
principles now budding in the minds of the dis-
ciples of Christ, which are producing plans of
active benevolence, in order to advance the
first and best interests of the human race;
89
principles which, when the fruit is brought to
maturity j will change the face of the world,
and introduce the reign of reason and of love,
e happiness to mankind ; because they
introduce the reign of God, and of his Christ,
over the souls of men.
The coincidence between the government of
the world, and the christian religion, in so
many varied points of view ; and the agreement
between the appearances and tendency of the
former, and the declarations and effect of the
latter, are considerations* not unworthy of the
notice of those who are examining, with im^
partiality and care, the evidences of the New
Testament.
SECTION VIII.
The Marnier in which the New Testament
addresses Men.
Here, as in many other points, the book is
eminently singular. In men who had no inter-
course with the great world, we might expect
to find either an admiration of the rich and
powerful, or a dislike of them, ancLa partiality
for people of their own rank. But nothing of
this is to be seen. We scarcely find a writer
who has not his partialities : one is a sycophant
90
of the great, and a despiser of the poor : ano-
ther hates the great, and makes his court to the
multitude, that he may gain their favour. Some
pay homage to the learned, and treat the igno-
rant with contempt : others take the contrary
side. Country and religion have a powerful
influence on men's sentiments, and on their
manner of speaking of persons and things.
Both Jewish and Gentile writers furnish remark-
able instances of this, each in an opposite way.
But here is a perfect exception to these modes
of writing. The whole human race is always
considered in the New Testament as one great
family. The apostles view man as an immortal
being : This is the light in which he constantly
appears. The different conditions of life sink
into nothing in comparison of this more illus-
trious rank. The only reason why they no-
tice the various stations in civil society is to re-
mind men of the duties of these stations, and
to guard them against the temptations to which
they are exposed. This is peculiarly the case
as to persons in the most exalted condition, the
temptations of which they represent as the
strongest of any: they therefore kindly entreat
them to watch against their influence with the
utmost care : and at the same time they frankly
reprehend their abuse of the blessings of their
condition. If they speak favourably of the
poor, it is to console them, because their temp-
tations are not so strong, and to point out those
91
;es in their lot which they are apt to
overlook. But in all the grand concerns of hu-
man nature they view men as equals: they
speak to them as brethren : the}- envy net the
at : they despise not the poor : they address
i all with dignity and affection. There is indeed
one marked difference which they ever main-
tain, and never in any one instance, lose sight
of for a moment. But it arises from nothing
external: it is that which takes place between
righteous and the wicked. Such greatness
of mind as this, which overlooks #11 worldly
distinctions ; which attaches dignity to man
as immortal, and excellence to man as good,
and meanness only to man as wicked ; found
in illiterate men, and found in all the writers of
the New Testament, will be allowed to have
some weight, when thrown into the scale which
contains the evidences of Christianity*
SECTION IX.
The Harmony of the Writers of the Neiu Testament.
-Disagreement amcvie persons who contri-
bute each a part towards the compilation of a
volume, infers the certain destruction of its
claims to divine inspiration. Harmony is ab-
solutely ry :. and where it is found, es-
92
pecially in so extensive a manner, and in so
many different points of view, and in matters
so various and complicated, it furnishes a pre-
sumptive argument in favour of its claim.
The first thing which we are led to enquire,
is, What harmony subsists between the gospel
and natural religion ? On the most accurate
examination it will be found, that there is not
one principle in the latter, which the former
does nqt advance, and confirm. Could the
deist find opposition here, he might justly tri-
umph: But he can produce none. The con-
cord is without an exception, as to principles,
precepts, desires, wants, and expectations.
The gospel is indeed fuller, and reveals many
things which the other does not contain. But
this is naturally to be expected in a revelation
made for the use of guilty and depraved crea-
tures, who need a remedy beyond the power
of natural religion to provide.
Another part of the subject is. the harmony
of this book with the Old Testament, which is
to be considered as a first volume of the work,
and so closely interwoven with it, as to be in-
capable of separation without a material injury
to both. When a book is entirely the produc-
tion of one man, the harmony is more easy :
where many are concerned in writing it, the
difficulty is increased. When the persons live
in different ages, in different countries, indif-
ferent conditions and employments, and in dif*
93
ferent states of society5 a difference of ideas
and sentiments on many subjects, especially
the highest and most comprehensive, is the na-
tural result : and harmony, if it be found, may
be considered as very remarkable. There are
cases where art could not possibly produce it.
For example, where the earlier writers not only
look back to what is past, but likewise predict
what is to come, and publish the institution of
ceremonial rites, which are to meet with their
accomplishment in a following dispensation that
they are designed to prefigure, collusion be-
comes impossible: and harmony is no wise to
be accounted for, but by supposing a divine in-
terposition and inspiration of the writers.
Such is the harmony to be found between
the penmen of the Old Testament and of the
New. They were men of different ages, coun-
tries, and stations. They wrote on the most
difficult subjects. They had all one plan in
view. Each added something as his part. The
latter fill up what the former had sketched
out: and both volumes confirm each other by
their agreement, and exactly correspond to
each other. What merits particular notice,
the most ingenious and complicated part came
first, the simplest and easiest, last ; that it
might be seen that artifice is not necessary to
make the systems fit, and fit in a way whicf*
no human ingenuity could have devised. The
agreement is not in one point only, but in him- t
94
dreds; so that the harmony between the pre-
diction's, types, sacrifices and purifying rites
of the Old Testament ; and the person, office,
kingdom and benefits of the Messiah, in whom
they had their accomplishment, can be consi-
dered in no other light, than as the effect of
deep design, and an extensive premeditated
plan . So remarkable has this appeared to some
opposers of Christianity, that they have as*
serted that the books of prophecy were com-
posed after the predicted events took place.
But the antiquity of the Old Testament rests
on so firm a foundation, that the man who
would attempt to shake it, would find all his
efforts vain.
Among the different writers of the New Tes-
tament, and in its different parts , the harmony
is equally clear and pleasing. Not to insist on
that between the evangelists, where the coin-
cidence may be expected to be more evident,
there is an agreement in things which are ap-
parently more incidental, and where a collusion
is not so readily thought of, nor so easily ef-
fected. The letters to the christian societies,
which make a part of the New Testament, are
closely connected with the acts of the apostles,
which may be called its ecclesiastical history;
and are in a manner formed upon it. In these
letters very frequent allusions are made to events
in the history. The allusions are so many, so
minute, so incidental, so much depending
95
circumstances which had occurred, and so na-
turally arising out of the subject, that no art
of man could produce agreement in such a mul-
titude of things, if either the letters, or the
history, or both were forgeries. Had the letters
been forged, we might expect to find them
couched in general terms, and cautiously avoid
the mentioning of every particular which could
lead to a discovery. But nothing can be more
directly opposite. They are full of business.
They are continually urging some serious and
useful topic. They are making frequent re-
ferences to particular societies, persons, places,
things, and events. While these furnish a con-
vincing internal proof that they are genuine,
the agreement of the references in them with
the history, gives additional strength to the
evidence, that they are what they profess to be.
There is another branch of this harmony
which should not pass unnoticed. The writers
both of the New Testament, and of the Old,
have occasion to advert to the history of other
?iations, and to record circumstances arisincr
from their connection with the Jews, or with
the christians. This is done without the re-
motest appearance of art or design. However
unimportant at first sight this may seem, it
enters so deeply both into the knowledge and
veracity of the persons, that imposture could
not escape detection. But no such charge can
be adduced : for whenever a reference is made
96
in the New Testament to the affairs of sur~
rounding countries, profane history confirms
the credibility of the sacred writers, and sanc-
tions their claims of being men of truth and
integrity.
The harmony just displayed in its various
bearings, is not that of false witnesses who have
learned their lesson, but of honest men, who
relate what they saw and knew, each in his
own way, and what particularly struck him :
Frequently one mentions one circumstance of
an action or event, and another, another.
This is not the harmony of men who combine
to deceive the human race.
If in a book of such extent there be some
apparent contradictions, it is Nothing more than
we have reason to expect. But a considerable
part of them will vanish, by granting what an
impartial reader cannot well refuse, that in an
ancient book, so long, and so often copied,
there will be errors of transcribers, especially
with respect to the names of persons and places,
and to chronological computations. For when
we find writers accurate in things of greater
moment, and greater difficulty, it is but fair
to argue that they could not have erred in
matters comparatively easy : and to charge the
fault on them, and not on the transcribers, is
unworthy of that candour which should distin-
guish the liberal mind.
To the progress of knowledge, and the ap-
97
plication of it to the study of the sacred scrip-
tures, we are indebted for satisfactory answers
to other objections against the harmony of its
parts. While there are some things in the
works of creation, and in the moral govern-
ment of God, which display the divine perfec-
tions with the brightness- of demonstration,
there are others which seem in direct opposi-
tion to their existence and exercise. But how-
ever contradictory these may seem to be, we
are certain, and deists will own, it is but in
appearance, and cannot be so in reality : and
the discoveries which have been made in science
have, in many instances, reconciled the diffi-
culties to our perfect satisfaction. This is pre-
cisely the case as to divine revelation, which
bears in this, as in other respects, a close ana-
logy to the other works of God. By profound
investigation, by the collation of manuscripts,
by a more perfect knowledge of eastern man-
ners, by a more thorough acquaintance with
history, by improvements in sacred criticism,
and by attention to occurring events, many
difficulties and apparent contradictions have
been removed ; and the harmony rendered
clear as the light of day. If some difficulties
still remain, view them as you do those of
creation and providence ; and they will form
no obstacle to the reception of the gospel.
There is little doubt, but that, like the others,
98
with increasing knowledge and the light of
events, they also will be dispelled.
Those who deny the truth and divinity -of the
christian religion, (for they are closely allied,)
will find it extremely difficult on their hypo-
thesis, to account for the various analogies, and
the complicated harmonies which have been
just presented to their view. Let them have
but their due weight in the investigation of the
subject, and the writer desires no more.
99
CHAPTER III.
OF THE EVIDENCE FOR THE DIVINE AUTHORITY OF THE
NEW TESTAMENT, ARISING FROM THE TESTIMONY OF
THE APOSTLES.
Some subjects are capable of being rendered
certain by mathematical demonstration : others,
which are of still greater importance to the hap-
piness of mankind, admit only' of moral evi-
dence, or the evidence of testimony. This is
the case with respect to all historical facts, and
the administration of justice in every form.
This evidence of testimony rests on a certain
Moral order, which gives stability to reason-
ing, and renders things as certain as by any
other kind of proof. That there is such a city
as Rome I am as fully convinced, as that the
three angles of a triangle are equal to two
right angles. Yet I never saw Rome : I rest
on the testimony of others. But I think my
own mind as likely to be mistaken in its opera-
tions in passing from one link in the chain of
• mathematical demonstration to another, as that
the moral evidence on which I found my belief,
should be false. On what does this certainty
rest ? It rests on that moral order which has
just been mentioned. Wherein it consists shall
F2
100
he briefly -shewn ; and it will form a proper
avenue to the field of testimony.
In the natural world God has established a
certain order of things which I perceive uni-
formly take place ; as the vicissitudes of day
and night, the power of attraction, gravita-
tion, &c. Hence I am enabled to judge with
certainty concerning the phenomena of nature.
But is there not a similar order in the moral
world ; and are there not laws established,
from the knowledge of which we may deter-
mine, though not with absolute certainty, yet
with such a degree of precision as will answer
sufficiently for directing our judgment in mat-
ters of testimony ? This is of still greater im-
portance than the other : we may therefore ex-
pect it with confidence.
There are certain general principles in the
human heart to which all have ^regard in the
conduct of life ; such as the pursuit of happi-
ness, the desire of honour, a sense of favours
bestowed, &x\ There are besides, some pe-
culiar principles of action arising. from the dif-
ferent characters of men. There is a predomi-
nant or governing principle which acts as the
main spring of the rational machine; and di-
rects the conduct, and regulates the life. I ob-
serve one man eminently pious : a thousand in-
stances of love to God and man blaze forth in
his life. A second whom I know, is the slave
of ambition. I have traced the passion in hi*
101
ft from his earliest years : it has grown Witfe
his growth. I am acquainted with a third, who-
is under the absolute dominion of avarice : the
oniv business of his life is to possess. There
is another, whom I have observed with atten-
tion ; he is the votary of pleasure ; and he has
followed it as a trade for many years : The in-
dulgence of all his appetites, and sensual pas-
sions, appears to be the sole end of his exist-
ence. There is an old friend with whom I have
had dealings for many years ; and have always
found to be a man of "sterling- and tried inte-
grity : he may be trusted with untold gold. His
opposite neighbour is an arrant cheat ; he will
deceive and defraud whenever it is in his
power.
From the knowledge we acquire of such
characters, enlarged by the numerous lessons
of history, we can judge, with tolerable accu-
racy, of what men will do. Is an eminent
example displayed of moderation of wishes,
and contentment with a littler No one says
u Alexander, or Caesar was the man." If we
are informed of prisoners being treated with
unparalleled cruelty, we do not suspect Mr.
Howard. Do we hear of a course of remark-
able self-government as to appetites and pas-
sions ? Every one exclaims, " It is neither
Nero nor Heliogabalus." If we read of a rob-
bery, accompanied with a shocking murder,
in the dead of night, laid to the charge of So-
102
crates or Epictetus, we throw the book away
with indignation, and cry, " the charge is
false." Every one can easily enlarge the list of
examples.
These general, and especially these distin-
guishing and peculiar principles which bear
sway in the hearts of men, constitute that mo-
ral order which enables us to form a judgment
of human conduct. In the common affairs of
life, and in things of the greatest importance
to our present happiness, we are guided by the
rules of this moral order, to decide what par-
ticular persons will do, and what measures they
"will adopt : and we thereby acknowledge its
existence, and its certainty. — Will it not be
equally applicable to the system of Christianity,
and the testimony of the apostles ? It certainly
is j for we are to proceed here by the very
same rules of reasoning, and the same kind of
evidence, as in other things which depend on
testimony. Let the impartial reader, who is
in search of truth, keep this constantly in
view : and then let him consider, what kind of
men the witnesses of Jesus were ; and what de-
gree of credit is due to the testimony which they
adduce.
103
SECTION I.
The Quality and Number of the Witnesses.
What office can be conceived more important
to the happiness of mankind, than that of the
persons who were to be the witnesses of Jesus,
and to testify his divine mission to the world.
The choice rested with himself. Had he se-
lected them from the rabbis, and scribes, and
chief priests, it might have been suspected,
that there was a design, by means of human
literature, to impose upon mankind. By the
choice which was made, this suspicion is avoid-
ed. Christ called men from the ordinary em-
ployments of the mass of society. As to their
moral improvement and character, they appear
to have been plain, serious, good men, who
had read the Old Testament with considerable
attention, and were well acquainted with its
contents.
By the mouth of two or three witnesses every
end of testimony is fully answered. But the
matter to be testified here, was uncommon :
and therefore Christ employed a much greater
number. He called twelve. This will be al-
lowed to be ample. If two or three may be
suspected of artifice, and may be able to unite
in publishing a falsehood, it is difficult for
twelve to do so. At the same time their union
104
in bearing testimony, will strengthen the weight
of the evidence.
The persons chosen had the best opportunities
of understanding what they were to testify.
Christ admitted them into his family. They
lived with him upwards of three years. He
favoured them with the most intimate friend-
ship ; and they had a perfect knowledge of ins
character, disposition, the actions of his life,
his death, and all the wondrous scenes which
followed, till they at last beheld him ascend to
heaven. Nothing was kept secret from them ;
and there was no reserve. The Grecian philo-
sophers had their esoteric, and their exoteric^
doctrines. Mahomet pretended a revelation
from heaven, to prevent a mussulman from en-
tering his habitation, except when requested by
himself. Nothing like these is to be found in
Jesus. He was accessible at every hour. His
disciples saw the whole of his behaviour \ and
heard the whole of his doctrine. They lived
with him on terms of the greatest, yet most re-
spectful intimacy : so that never men had fairer
opportunities of knowing any matter, than were
presented to the apostles, of knowing every
thing relative to the character and mission o£
Jesus Christ.
105
SECTION If.
Tficir Qualifications for bearing Testimony to Christ:
In those who appear to give their testimony in
matters of importance, we have a right to look
for two things ; namely, capacity and integrity.
Let us examine if they are to be found in these
men.
A moderate portion of intellect will be suffi-
cient in the present case. The thing to be tes-
tified is not a matter of abstruse speculation y
but a collection of facts, on which some plain
principles, naturally resulting from them, are
founded. What measure of capacity a man pos-
sesses, nothing will more plainly discover, than
his writing: of a book. The witnesses of Jesus
have done this : and the New Testament will
convince every one, that there was no defect
of understanding to disqualify them for the
office.
But the heart must be sound, as well as the
head. Integrity is absolutely necessary to ren-
der a testimony credible; and is indeed the
chief thing. To a candid enquirer, who will
give every circumstance its due weight, it must
be evident, that if words in unpremeditated
speech, or in writing, if a long course of ac-
tions and sufferings can demonstrate integrity,
f3
106
never were there on earth more upright men
than the apostles of Jesus Christ.
But sometimes, where men have appeared to
possess a good understanding and unquestion-
able integrity, they have been so entirely under
the influence of enthusiasm, as to become the
senseless dupes of an over-heated imagination,
and of intoxicated passions. Though therefore
the apostles should not be impostors, yet if
they be Enthusiasts, it renders their testimony
of no avail. The remark is just ; but it does
not apply. Consult the records of their lives :
all is wisdom and soberness. Add to this, the
study of their writings. There is no enthusiasm
there : a sound judgment appears from be-
ginning to end. The subject is the highest that
can employ the mind : but we find no wild
flights of imagination. There are passages
which express the most vigorous energies of
the soul, and all the ardour of the strongest
affection ; but the subject lays a sufficient foun-
dation for them ; and there, rapture is reason,
not enthusiasm. Indeed, an enemy to Chris-
tianity > if he have one spark of candour re-
maining in his breast, must justify them from
the charge.*
* The apostles, unless they really believed what they so
often asserted, concerning the resurrection of Christ,
could not be enthusiasts. If they stole his dead body, as
the soldiers, asserted, the very act must have cured them
of enthusiasm. If h remained in the grave , fraud, and
107
SECTION III.
Their Sincerity, and personal Conviction of the Truth
of their Testimony,
From the manner of a person's conversation,
or writing, sagacious men can judge with a con-
siderable degree of accuracy, whether he is in
earnest or not. No book has been perused
with so much attention as the New Testament,
both by friends and foes. One design, at
least, of the enemies, has been to spy out faults.
Insincerity and deceit are the greatest. But
wrhat discoveries have they made ? When Ma-
homet introduces passages in the Koran, con-
taining a command or permission from Heaven
to multiply his wives, by adding to the num-
ber those on whom he had cast the eye of de-
sire ; and likewise to seclude them from the so-
ciety of those whom jealousy feared ; it requires
not enthusiasm, must have published that Jesus was risen.
But their conduct shews, that they were convinced that he
rose from the dead, and appeared to them afterwards,
and ascended to heaven before their eyes. Hence that
noble ardour for the propagation of the truth, which ani-
mated the whole of their future life. Men may call this
enthusiasm if they will ; but their deportment and writ-
ings clearly demonstrate, that they were the farthest of
any of the human race from the character of enthusiasts,
ia the common despicable sense of the word.
108
no more than ordinary sagacity to perceive the
sensual motive. But is there any thing like
this in the writers of the New Testament?
Every line marks sincere, disinterested, and
honest men. With the utmost simplicity they
mention their prejudices, their weaknesses,
and their faults. The highest tone of sincerity
vibrates through the whole of the book.
There is a constant abhorrence of iniquity, a
sense of God's presence and holiness, and a
deep and clear view of him as the avenger of
all iniquity. But their sincerity appears in the
whole tenor of their lives and actions, in a most
remarkable manner.
SECTION IV.
Their Constancy and Perseverance in bearing
Testimony,
All the apostles stood forth as witnesses to the
divine mission of Jesus Christ : and their con-
tinuance in bearing testimony, year after year,
to the end of life, carries with it a considera-
ble degree of weight.
When men first engage in any remarkable
service, the novelty of the situation and em-
ployment may create, for a season, a considered
ble alteration in their thoughts and manners :
109
and, in addition to this, they may for a while
put a restraint upon themselves. But when the
impetus has spent its force, they will display
their true character ; and we shall see what they
really are. If they have entered on the work
from the mere ardour of a warm imagination,
and kindled passions, or from the eager in-
fluence of false expectations, they will, when
their fire is spent, and they find themselves mis-
taken in their hopes, quit the irksome situa-
tion, and retire to a more gainful or more plea-
sing employment. Had the apostles of Christ
formed any plan of worldly enjoyment or advan-
tage they must have, in a very short space of
time, been completely undeceived. Did am-
bition swell their hearts ? They soon found
that they had nothing to expect but degradation
in the eye£ of the world. Were they blinded
by avarice? They speedily learnt that they
were not on the road to wealth. Was it love
of ease and pleasure which animated their
hopes ? It was not long before they were fully
convinced, that these were not to be found in
bearing testimony to Jesus Christ. But this
conviction made no alteration in their conduct :
it neither led them to throw aside their office,
nor did it even cool their zeal in its execution.
They went on, with unshaken constancy and
unabating ardour, to the end of their days, in
bearing witness to their master's cause before
the world.
110
When twelve men, whether as individuals,
or at the head of communities, unite to propa-
gate an imposture, or to execute a plan of
falsehood or injustice, the event is so uniform,
that we may consider it as ck law of the moral
world, that however amicable and cordial they
may be in the beginning, they will in the pro-
gress of the business disagree, and thwart
each other's views : and what commenced with
oaths of secrecy, and vows of perseverance till
the final accomplishment of the design, and a
glowing affection to all concerned in it, is ar-
rested in its course by jealousies, envies, ha-
tred, mutual accusations, and the falling off of
one after another ; and ends in disclosing the
black design, and unveiling to the world the
hollowness of their hearts. But we perceive
nothing of this nature among the apostles of
Christ. The same testimony which they bore
at first, they bore with their dying breath.
One of them proved a traitor ; but he had no
secrets to tell. l< 1 have sinned," he cries out
in agony, " in that I have betrayed innocent
blood." Paul and Barnabas had a warm dis-
pute, and separated from each other : but it
was to do apart, what they had done together ;
namely, to bear witness to the divine mission
of Jesus of Nazareth. A temporary disagree-
ment took place between Peter and Paul, but
in their heat they have no black imposture to
bring to light : they have no accusation against
Ill
the cause of Christ. With the exception of the
unhappy Judas, whose mournful confession
was full in its favour, constancy in declaring to
the world, with affection and fervour, that Je-
sus is the Christ, was the attribute of all the rest.
SECTION V.
Their Sufferings for the Sake of their Testimony.
Had the apostles not been the men they pro-
fessed to be, their manner of life must have
been one continued scene of suffering. To
ipersons who were nourishing evil passions in
ijtheir hearts, and panting after worldly enjoy-
Ijments, the constant mortification to which they
jsubmitted, and the entire application of the
jsoul to spiritual and divine things through the
(whole course of their thoughts, and words, and
lactions, must have been an intolerable burden,
Christianity was not like the systems of the
philosophers, a code of speculative opinions,
|\vhich left men at liberty to live as they pleased ;
ut it prescribed a rule of life which directed
he conduct, temper, and sentiments, even to
he very thoughts of the heart ; and called men
o be entirely different from what they were
before. Nothing but the existence and power
112
of the principles of the gospel on the heart
could have rendered such a life as that of the
apostles tolerable, or in fact could have pro-
duced it. But to them, as being tilled with the
spirit of their master, the christian life was not
a burden, but their delight: " Christ's yoke
was easy, and his burden light ; because they
had learned of him who was meek and lowly
in heart. "
But while in Christ they had peace, in the
world they had tribulation, on account of their
testimony. Instead of finding riches, honours,
and pleasures in the execution of their office,
it drew upon them the bitterest persecution*
Every kind of indignity was offered : every
kind of injury sustained. It was not in one or
two instances that this took place: they found/
by painful experience, that nothing else was
to be expected but a continued course of suffer-
ing, while they continued to testify of Christ
that he is the Saviour of the world. A brief
enumeration of what one of them endured, as
narrated in his own words, will give us the
truest idea of their situation : " In stripes above
measure, in prisons frequent, in deaths oft.
Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes
save one. Thrice was I beaten with rods,
once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck.
a night and a day I have been in the deep. Ir
journeying* often, in perils of waters, in peril?
of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen
113
in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city,
in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea,
in perils among false brethren ; in weariness,
in watchinsfs often, in hunger and thirst, in
fastings often, in cold and nakedness." 2 Cor.
xi. 23 — 27. Such was the treatment the
apostles met with ; but thej^ do not appear at
all disconcerted. Our master, they say, told
us of this before. " If they have persecuted
me, they will also persecute you." John xv. 20.
They consider persecution as a thing of course ;
and go on in their work with unabated zeal.
Love to Christ and his cause, appears to burn
with a more fervid flame amidst sufferings.
Not one of them who had entered on the war-
fare after their master's death, retires from the
field of battle : they all continue in it as long
as they breathed the breath of life* Can we
account for their conduct on a supposition that
they were actuated by impure motives ? How
much more easy and natural will it be to allow
that they were honesty and good, and faith-
ful men.
SECTION VI.
Their Martyrdom, as a Seal to their Testimony.
When men die for opinions, it shews that they
are strongly attached to them. When persons
of sound judgment and good sense, and in
114
other respects, of moral rectitude do so, it is
a proof that they believe the opinions to be
true. But it is proper and necessary to enquire
into the foundation of this belief. If it be
founded on facts, facts which are palpable, nu-
merous, diversified, important, witnessed to
by many, who all agree in the report, and
where it was morally impossible they could
have been imposed on, their martyrdom is to
be considered as the final seal of their testi-
mony. Such martyrs were the apostles of
Christ ; and the facts to which they bore testi-
mony had all the qualities which have been
just enumerated.
Had Mahomet died asserting the reality of
his visit to heaven on the beast Alborac ; and
that all the strange things, which he says he
heard and saw, were true; the evidence is so
slender, that the farthest we could go in as-
senting to his declarations is, " He asserted it
to be a fact." But when twelve men inform
us that they lived with Jesus upwards of three
years, heard his discourses, saw his miracles,
were witnesses of his death, were in company
with him many times after his resurrection,
beheld him ascend to heaven, received the
Holy Ghost according to his promise, and were
enabled to speak languages which they had
never Learned, to work miracles, and heal the
sick, and raise the dead, (things which they
bad often performed,) is it possible that they
115
could be deceived as to the reality and certainty
of the facts ? The shadow of a doubt cannot
remain.
There may have been martyrs of pride, who
would rather suffer death than give up their
sentiments ; and who scorned to be compelled
to unsay what they had said, and to adopt ano-
ther's creed, and castaway their own. There
have been numerous martyrs of opinion, whose
death proves nothing more than their sincerity ;
and that they believed their opinions to be
true. How widely do the apostles of Christ
differ from both, and rise above both. They
may be justly denominated martyrs of facts.
In matters of opinion there may be a mistake :
in matters of absolute fact, there can be none.
It is of much weight too, that they were not
attached to the belief of these facts by birth,
by the prejudices of education, or by their
worldly interest. On the contrary, their be-
lief is in opposition to them all ; and shocks all
their former and early sentiments and habits.
What then but the certainty of the facts can
present an adequate cause for such unexam-
pled fortitude, in voluntarily submitting to tor-
tures, and the most cruel death. I call it un-
exampled fortitude, for it was accompanied
with a holy resignation to the divine will, an
unshaken trust in God, and the liveliest hope
of blessedness in a future state; and with the
most ardent benevolence to their murderers*
116
expressing itself in the tenderest pity, ia de-
clarations of full forgiveness, and in fervent
prayers that God would not lay it to their
charge, but shew mercy to them, and make
them good and happy. Are these men im-
postors ? Are they not " the servants of the
living God, who shew unto us the way of sal-
tation ?"
SECTION VIE.
It could not be the Design of the Apostles to accomplish
a good End by bad Means.
What has been said on the testimony of the
apostles to the divine mission of Jesus Christ,
leaves but one supposition behind ; namely,
that they had contrived among themselves a re-
ligion which they conceived would be in the
hiohest degree for the benefit of mankind : and
in order to procure it a readier reception, they
pretended that it came from God. Hence they
were led to invent miracles and prophecies be-
cause these would confer on it greater dignity,
and give it more the appearance of a divine ori-
gin. As a still greater proof of zeal for the
success of their scheme, they endured the bit-
terest persecution, and devoted themselves to
death in its defence ; with their last breath pro-
claiming it true and divine.
M7
But the supposition is directly contrary to
till ideas of moral order. To say nothing of
nfinite improbability of these men, indeed
of any men being able to contrive such a reli-
gion and such evidences in its support — the
apostles profess to honour God. Their writ-
ings and their lives display this in every part.
They acknowledge God to be the avenger of
ail imposture and deceit ; and they represent
his displeasure as unspeakably dreadful. They
particularly reprobate the maxim, u that men
may do evil, that good may come," asserting
that " their damnation is just." And will they
expose themselves to it for nought ? Will they
spend their lives in suffering, and meet death
in ignominy and torment, merely to offend
God by their presumption ? It cannot be ; —
Some other cause must be assigned*
118
CHAPTER IV.
OF THE EVIDENCE FOR THE DIVINE AUTHORITY OF THE
NSW TESTAMENT, ARISING FROM SOME ADDITIONAL
CONSIDERATIONS, WHICH FURTHER CONFIRM THE TES-
TIMONY OF THE APOSTLES.
That the validity of the testimony of the
apostles should be firmly established, must ap-
pear to all a matter of the last importance. If
the mind have cause of doubt and uncertainty
here, other parts of the evidence for Christianity
will not be listened to with attention and re-
spect. The particulars insisted on in the pre-
ceding chapter, must have weight with all by
whom they are considered. But there are ar-
guments of an indirect kind which, lying more
remote from the view of an impostor, do still
more strongly confirm the uprightness of the
witnesses of Jesus, and render it utterly impro-
bable, that it was their intention to impose upon
the world. The following sections present
considerations of this nature : and these, when
added to the direct evidence which has been
already adduced, give all the assurance of in-
tegrity which a candid enquirer will ask ; at
least, all that is necessary and sufficient to carry
conviction to an impartial mind.
119
SECTION I.
The Improbability of the Apostles contriving a new
Religion.
In the history of the world, I observe many-
persons attempting to impose on their fellow-
creatures, in many ways. Of numerous and
fatal impositions, religion, alas! has been the
fruitful source : and there is not a system in
existence which has not been employed in this
way. But to invent a religion for the express
purpose, is an infinitely more arduous task,
than to make a handle of one already formed.
Men have a veneration for an old religion ; and
all that is requisite is to increase that venera-
tion, and turn it to the advantage of the de-
ceiver : but in the other case, that veneration
is to be created ; — and there is nothing more
difficult.
To suppose that a few obscure mechanics
and fishermen of Judea should conceive the
idea of forming a new religion which opposed
itself to all the world, which was entirely to
supersede Judaism, and totally to destroy every
species of idolatry, seems far beyond the li-
mits of probability. They had no precedent.
The authors of the different systems of pagan
mythology were men vested with authority,
who had the sword in their hand to give force
120
to their pretensions ; or they were of singular
learning, and unspeakably superior to the bar-
barous people whom they would persuade to
believe what they said; and they were regard-
ed as oracles.* But for men of inferior sta-
tions in society, who had no power and no pre-
tensions to learning, and who were looked down
upon as grossly illiterate by the chiefs of their
own nation, is quite a different thing. The
world had furnished no instance of this before ;
nor did history (though it is most probable
they were acquainted with no other than the Old
Testament) emit one ray of hope of success.
The revelation of God's will to the nation of
the Jews, by the ministry of Moses, bore no re-
semblance, and afforded no encouragement to
such an attempt. The nature of the christian
religion renders the supposition of their at-
tempting it still more unlikely. Do I lay un-
due stress on this consideration, if I say, It is
not probable that such men should conceive
such a thing ?
* Perhaps I should not say that they invented new sys-
tems, for the ground- work and substance of all of them
was nearly the same : and as there was a general venera-
tion among the people for received opinions, they took ad-
vantage of that, and merely added a few new distinguish-
ing rites and festivals, or altered and modified a particular
branch of the old system. In this view, the reasoning ac
quires still greater weight.
121
* SECTION II.
The Divine Origin of the New Testament may be in*
f erred from the Talents of the Writers.
If a man put into my hand a weak and super-
ficial treatise in philosophy, and say, " That is
a work of Sir Isaac Newton," so soon as I have
perused it, I reply, " It is impossible : you are
grossly mistaken." On the other hand, if a
book be read to me, full of the noblest ideas
and the most profound wisdom, far superior to
any thing I ever met with ; I ask with eager-
ness, " Who wrote it ?" the answer is : " Some
boys at school." I wish to see them. They
are brought ; and I ask, " Is this your writing?"
They say, " It is." — t4 I cannot believe you,
for it is not the work of boys : It would do ho-
nour to the maturest age." — " You mistake us,"
they reply, " the writing and style are ours,
but the sentiments were dictated to us by our
master." This explains the matter at once :
What confirms me in the truth of their decla-
ration is, that there are some things which they
do not appear fully to understand. All this is
natural and easy according to the laws of moral
order.
To apply these remarks to the present case,
here is a book of a superior kind, which gives
the fullest information in every thing that relates
122
to our highest interests. It was written by some
plain illiterate men in Judea ; but it leaves all
the writings of the ablest philosophers infinitely
behind. Compare what it says of God, his na-
ture and government ; of man, his duty and
happiness ; and of a present and future state
of being ; and you will be convinced. How
came these men so far to excel all others r I put
the question to the writers of the New Testa-
ment. " It is not we that speak," they say,
*< but the Spirit of the Father which speaketh in
us. The lancruao-e is ours; but the truths
were revealed by God. They did not proceed
from the energies of our minds : we received
them from above." Why will you not believe
them ? The things revealed are worthy of God.
As I observe some things in the book, which
they themselves apparently did not fully un-
derstand, it renders their account still more
probable. If you will not believe them, you
are reduced to this difficulty, which is a breach
of moral order ; namely, that these persons,
without education, and without study, wrote a
better book than all the ablest men in the
world, with all the advantages of learning,
have been able to do, either before or since.
■
123
SECTION III.
The Penmen of the Neiv Testament wrote with Ease on
every Subject.
There are some subjects on which it is ex-
ceedingly difficult to write : The strongest mind
is seen to labour ; and the theme to be too great
for its energies. The apostles treated the high-
est and most difficult topics on which men can
employ their pens. But their manner fills me
with astonishment. They are always at their
ease. They never appear embarrassed, or at
a loss either for ideas or for words. The ne-
cessity they sometimes are under to add expres-
sion to expression, in order to convey their
ideas fully, is not owing to any defect in their
minds, but to the insufficiency of language
fully to convey their thoughts. Whether they
speak of God or man, of things past or things
to come, of Heaven or Hell, of the divine pur-
poses or acts, they appear quite at home, and
ave fully acquainted with their subject, so far
as it should see-m they design to treat it.
This is no common attainment ; and when
we consider who the writers were, — not learned
sages, descending from the schools of philoso-
phy, but fishermen from their boats, at the
lake of Tiberias ; and that in treating the most
difficult of all subjects, they discover the hand
g 2
124
of a master drawing his sketch with inimitable
ease, what shall we say? At least that they
were very extraordinary men. As there were
many united in composing the book ; and all
appear to have possessed this quality in an equal
degree, the case is still more remarkable. Let
it be thrown into the scale of evidence : it will
be found not destitute of weight.
SECTION IV,
Hie serious Spirit with which the Apostles write, gives
Weight to their Testimony.
It is exceedingly remarkable that men should
be able to infuse their spirit into their writings,
as we daily feel them do into their conversation.
It breathes from their pages upon our minds,
and we perceive what manner of men they are.
In this quality there is no book which excels the
New Testament ; and no writers who more
clearly display their true character. The
image of their souls is stamped upon their
hallowed volume. Every attentive reader will
observe that their habitual frame i.u writing is,
what I know not better how to express, than
by the word seriousness. Other authors of
those ancient days shew a diversity of temper.
Sometimes they arc lively, sometimes grave ;
sometimes we observe seriousness ; at other
125
times levity. But these men of Galilee are al-
ways serious and in earnest. They feel the
influence of God upon their hearts ; they are
constantly devout ; and their writings breathe
the most fervent piety. Not a lineescapes them
which discovers the absence of reverence for
God.
It has been frequently observed, that men who
write with the greatest seriousness, are apt to
discover a severity of disposition towards
others, which has much of the appearance of
dislike, or even hatred. But the writers of the
New Testament, to the deepest and most con-
stant seriousness unite the purest and most fer-
vent benevolence. Love is never a stranger to
their breast. They express the tenderest pity
for those who are destitute of just sentiments
and dispositions towards God and man ; anci
displav, in union with their reverence for God,
that exalted spirit of genuine philanthropy
which the world had never seen, and which no
books written since in similar circumstances
have ever displayed. If such men be not faith-
ful witnesses, who are ?
SECTION V.
'No little or evil Passions are betrayed by the Writers
of the Neiv Testament.
When men write histories, or memoirs, or
letters, in which they themselves act a consU
126
derable part, we see their character and dispo-
sition pourtrayed in the manner in which they
speak of themselves, and of others with whom
they are connected in the way of intercourse,
friendship, or enmity. Persons who have been
brought up in simple habits of life, till they
ascended the station which displayed them to
the world, shew their hearts most openly.
Such as have been habituated to the manners of
polished society, learn to conceal what the
others tell without reserve : but through the
veil we can still discern much even of their real
character and predominant dispositions.
The writers of the New Testament belong to,
the first class, and display all their soul on the
pages of their book. As they were mostly
plain men, had they been like others of the
same station, we should perceive the giddiness
of exaltation to public notice, the pride of au-
thorship, the vanity of success, a contempt of
such as differ from them, a hatred of those who
reject them, and an undervaluing of qualities
which they do not themselves possess. But
not one of these little or evil tempers so much
as pushes forth a bud. In writing, their only
aim is to convey truth. There does not appear
a thought of gaining honour to themselves by
saying fine things. Though successful beyond
conception, not a single expression of self gra-
tulation falls from their lips. " Not I," says
one of them, (and he speaks the language of
127
all,) " but the Grace of God which is in me."
Contempt of others, because weak or wicked,
they do not seem to feel : they are full of love
and pity for the worst, even for the most inve-
terate enemies. They give to every good qua-
lity its due commendation, whoever may possess
it ; and to all kinds of useful knowledge their
due praise. — Where shall we find such another
book ?
SECTION VI.
Tfie Humility of the Writers of the New Testament.
Pride of knowledge, and pride of goodness,
how common are they in books ! Compositions
of the nature of the New Testament, where
the writers are not only the penmen, but also in
part the subjects of the history, give peculiar
scope for displays of this kind : but we seek for
it in vain in the disciples of Christ. Never did
authors keep themselves more out of sight,
than the writers of the gospels : it is surprising
how little is really theirs ; and how much comes
from the mouths of others. In the course of
the narrative they tell their faults with the
greatest frankness and naivete. They record
without disguise their ignorance, their preju-
dices, their errors, and their faults. Some
writers have told us of their own faults, but in-
128
such a way that we can see their aim is to solicit
praise. The language of the heart is, " See
what a humble man I am," or " These are all
the faults I have : are they not little ones and
few?" Nothing of this artifice do the apostles
shew. It is honest integrity, simply relating
truth ; not pride under the mantle of humility
fishing for applause.
From their office, as tfce apostles of Christ,
they had great authority in the church. They
performed the most wonderful miracles : sick-
ness vanished at their word, and death gave
up his prey. By their ministry, disciples were
in considerable numbers added to the society of
the faithful. How apt are all these things to
swell the heart with pride t But the apostles
discover nothing of such a spirit. One of them,
when compelled to defend his character against
the enemies of the cross, enumerates his suffer-
ings and his labours. 2 Cor. xi. But the pas-
sage breathes nothing but humility and self an-
nihilation : it seems a torture to him to relate
what he had suffered and done in his Master's
service. What they say of one part of their
office, " we preach not ourselves, but Christ
Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your servants for
Jesus' sake," is applicable to the whole of their
character.
The humility of the apostles appears like-
wise in recording various particulars in the life
of Christ. Men who wished to shine in the rays
129
of their Master, would have exalted his cha-
racter to the utmost ; and cast a veil over cir-
cumstances and actions which were not so ho-
nourable, or which would lead the world to
think meanly of him. The writers of the gos-
pels act in a different manner. They relate a
multitude of things which might have been con-
cealed from every following age, and which
they know would tarnish the character of Jesus
with men of worldly minds. The station of
his parents, his unlearned education at Naza-
reth, his rejection by his countrymen, when he
appeared in his public character, and their at-
tempt to put him to death for his pretensions,
the opposition made to him by his kinsmen, who
supposed him to be mad, the continual enmity
of the rulers, his condition so destitute that he
had not where to lay his head, and his subsist-
ing by the bounty of others, his being account-
ed a gluttonous man and a wine bibber, a friend
of publicans and sinners, in league with Beel-
zebub, and a demoniac himself, are all told
without shame and without disguise. Men who
wished either to impose on the world, or to
exalt themselves, would not have acted thus.
They gave the enemies of the gospel a fair op-
portunity of examining every charge : and
they held themselves up to the world as the dis-
ciples of one who was poor, and vilified, and
despised. Pride would not have done so. They
were clothed with humility,
130
SECTION VII.
The Apostles acted as Men believing their Testimony
to be true.
The witnesses profess to be fully convinced
that Jesus is the Messiah, and that every part
of their testimony is true. How they were led
to accept the office which called them to deliver
this testimony, is not considered as it ought ;
for it carries much evidence with it. — They
were following their occupations in common
life, several of them fishermen, one a publican,
Christ called to them, " Follow me." They
left all, their homes, their comforts, their
prospects: they lived with him as members of
his family, and received his doctrine from his
lips ; and were witnesses of his life, his death,
his resurrection, and ascension.
One of the witnesses was a furious and san-
guinary bigot, and a persecutor of Christianity.
We see him depart for Damascus breathing out
threatenings and slaughter against the disciples
of Jesus. But before he arrives at the place,
he is stopped in his career: and we find him
soon afterwards in the very city where he de-
signed to extirpate the gospel, proclaiming that
Jesus is the Christ, and attesting the facts
which he had before been doing every thing in
131
His power to contradict and obliterate. The
moral as well as the natural world has its laws ;
There is an order in both. Men do not throw
oft' their character on a sudden, without cause.
They cannot instantly divest themselves of
their deep-rooted, their favourite, their strongs
grounded prejudices, especially their preju-
dices of birth, of education, and, least of all,
their prejudices of religion. This is applica-
ble to all the apostles, but especially to Paul.
Some cause, some adequate cause must have
produced in them, and especially in him, so
great a change. The history of the planting
of Christianity in the world records it in Acts ix.
and Paul himself, in the xxii. and xxvi. chap-
ters of the same book. Changed he is indeed !
His doctrine in Rom. xii. and 1 Cor. xiii. shews
him to be a very different man from Saul the
zealous Jew, When -he rose from the feet of Ga-
maliel. But what cause shall we assign for the
wondrous change r There must have been in
them all, and in him, a full conviction that the
cause of Jesus was the cause of God.
The manner in Which they acted in the dis-
charge of the apostolical office, displays the
same spirit of full conviction of the truth of
their testimony to Christ. Their Master com-
manded them to go and teach all nations, " be-
ginning at Jerusalem." They obeyed; and a
few weeks afterwards, in the very place where "
Jesus was crucified, they bore testimony that
132
t
he was the Messiah promised to the fathers.
Their preaching consisted of an extensive de-
tail of facts relating to Jesus Christ. Had they
been conscious of a deception, they would have
gone to countries at a distance. They wrould
have declared at Byzantium, at Rome, or at
Marseilles, what Jesus had done in Judea and
Galilee : and the deception could not have
been so easily found out. But by beginning at
Jerusalem, they put their doctrine to the test
at once. Every inhabitant of that city was
qualified to judge, and to decide. Could the
apostles have given more convincing evidence,
that they believed the truth of the testimony
which they bore to Christ ?
This will appear with still fuller evidence, if
we consider that the apostles preached the gos-
pel in an age, and in places of the greatest
knowledge. The Jews were beyond compari-
son the best informed people in matters of re-
ligion : with them they began to deliver their
testimony. The Greeks and Romans had made
the greatest improvements in arts and sciences,
and various literature : to them the apostles af-
terwards went, and preached in Syria, in the
lesser Asia, in Greece, and in Italy. Every
where they candidly and fully proposed to the
people the gospel of Christ. This has certainly
every appearance of fairness ; and discovers a
consciousness in the apostles, that they were
speaking the wrords of truth ; — for if rude tribes
133
may be easily imposed on, a civilized nation
will not believe without evidence. Those only
who think they have truth on their side, will
act in the manner the apostles did.
SECTION VIIL
The Apostles do not encourage the Prejudices, nor flatter
the Passions of Men.
Prejudice is one of the grand instruments of
human wickedness, and human misery. It is
the chain by which the mind is prevented from
going in quest of truth. Men have their indi-
vidual, their professional, their national, and
their religious prejudices ; and the more agree-
able these are to their depraved dispositions,
the stronger will they be. Those who wish to
gain them, unless they respect their prejudices,
can, humanly speaking, expect but little suc-
cess. The heathen legislators acted on this
principle ; and we find Mahomet following their
example. There is in his system a wonderful
degree of accommodation to prejudices. We
find something to please the Jews, something
to win over the christians, and something to
render his doctrine palatable to the pagan ido-
lators. The apostles encourage none : they call
men away from them all, $s in numberless in-
134
stances exceeding pernicious; and the least
hurtful, as childish follies, unfitting the mind
for the reception of truth.
How strong were the prejudices of the Jews
in general, and of their different sects ! The
prejudices of the Gentiles were equally invete-
rate ; and the rulers, the philosophers, the
priests, and the multitude, had each their appro-
priate portion. A man of craft would have
tried to attach them all by compliance: or he
would have sought to secure a part on his side,
and by their means to gain the rest. The
apostles attack all ; and shew themselves equally
hostile to Jewish and Gentile prejudices, with-
out regarding that vast strength which they had
acquired by the growth of more than a thou-
sand years. Their design certainly is not to
deceive, but to reform : and, instead of sup-
ple impostors, we have certainly before us men-'
of staunch unbending integrity.
As they do not respect men's prejudices, they
do wot flatter their vices, and indulge them in
their evil passio?7s. When men wish to impose
on others, they endeavour to enlist their passions
on their side, and thus to win over their judg-
ment. Every deceiver, without exception, has
made this his aim. But the apostles of Christ
know not what flattery means: it is not to be
found in all the New Testament. While they
discover the tenderest pity for guilty and mi-
serable creatures, and shew the utmost conde-
135
scension to human infirmity, they neither foster
men's prejudices, nor give indulgence to any,
even the least of their sinful passions.
They do not flatter the Jews, but reduce them
to a level with the rest of human kind. Thev
do not flatter the Pharisees, to gain the aid of
their popularity to the cause of Christ ; but ac-
cuse them of making the law of God of none
effect by their traditions. They do not flatter
the Sadducees ; but charge them with infidelity
and guilt. They do not flatter the priests ; but
address them as blind leaders of the blind.
They do not flatter the multitude ; but call them
away from the commission of every sin, to the
practice of every duty.
Nor do they flatter the Gentiles more than the
Jews. They do not seek to ingratiate them-
selves with the magistrates, by a sacrifice of
principles, and a support of their measures.
They do not seek to win over the Heathen
priests, by enjoining the people to pay them
homage and submission. They court not the
patronage of the philosophers by adopting the
dogmas of their sect : nor do they strive to please
the multitude by numerous festivals and a pom-
pous ritual. They flatter neither friends nor
foes ; neither friends to procure their attach-
ment, nor foes to avert their hatred ; neither
the Jews to gain their countrymen, nor the
Gentiles, to allure them into the church.
Are these men impostors ? Is it really their
136
intention to deceive ? Will human policy act
by this rule ? Will it lead its votaries to expect
success by such methods as these ? There is
something here above man. There is here a
mode of conduct which must constrain every
unprejudiced mind to acknowledge, that this is
not the manner of men, when their object is to
deceive ; and that it presents every appearance
of honesty, which words or actions can possi-
bly give.
SECTION IX.
The high Tone of Authority which the Writers of the
New Testament use.
L o the best judges of human nature, the writ-
ers of the New Testament will appear among
the humblest of men. But here is a remarka-
ble phenomenon : — these humble men every
where speak with the commanding tone of di-
vine authority. Other authors who expect
belief, reason, or record facts : these sometimes
reason, often record facts; but, in addition,
they reveal doctrines, and deliver precepts :
and in all, demand credit and obedience in the
name of God. This is not a paroxism of pride
boiling over for a moment, and then subsiding ;
not a pretence for dominion, assumed for theoc-
137
casion, and then laid aside: it runs through
the whole. Nor is it the case with one of the
writers only, but with all. There is a perfect
uniformity of character among them in this
respect.
The more I consider this, the more striking
it appears. There were eight men concerned
in writing the New Testament. They wrote
at a distance from each other : several of them,
most probably, never saw what the others had
done, till they had composed and sent forth
their own part. If one, or two, or three of
them were men, whose natural temper, or ac-
quired disposition, led them to speak in an au-
thoritative tone, the rest, we might suppose,
would have conveyed their ideas in a different
manner : but they do not. While there is that
diversity in language and expression which may
be expected from their various constitutions of
mind, they all unite in speaking authoritatively
in the name of God ; and demand attention and
obedience to their words.
There is another striking circumstance con-
nected with this subject. I do not hear one of
the writers of this book complain of want of
ability ; or beg the indulgence of his readers to
his errors and imperfections, seeing he had un-
dertaken to treat on subjects so exalted. In
other writings this is common. One of the au-
thors of the Apocrypha comes forward with this
apology: " If I have done well, and as is
138
fitting the story, it is that which I desired : but
if slenderly and meanly, it is that which I could
attain unto." 2 Mac. xv. 38. There is scarce-
ly a preface to a treatise on a difficult theme,
which does not crave the indulgence of the
reader. But there is nothing of this in the
New Testament : yet never was there a book
which so totally annihilated the writers, and
displayed men so void of pride. How shall we
account for persons so humble, employing so
authoritative a toner — Let the deist reflect
upon it.
SECTION X.
The Character in which the Founder and first Teaclicrs
of Christianity appeared.
When a new religion is propagated, it is de-
sirable that men should have the fairest oppor-
tunity of examining its claims. Much will de-
pend on the situation in which those who pro-
pagate it appear. Superior rank, and exalt-
ed station, or an office of authority, have all a
tendency to dazzle the mindr and to impede a
full examination. — Vespasian is said to have
performed miracles. Had the emperor deigned
to ask me to inquire into the reality of his won-
ders, I would have replied, with the philoso-
139
phcr to one of iris successors: u I do not love
to contend with the man who has five and twenty
legions at his command !n — Mahomet was the
caliph as well as the prophet; and as soon as
he could find disciples to compose a banditti, he
put arms into their hands, and appeared at their
head : and the terrestrial theocracy which he
made it his business to establish, presented
both himself and his successors in the garb of
a sultan, and a commander of armies. I do
not like to examine the claims of the prophet's
religion, while his sword and his spear glitter in
mine eyes, and offend my sight ; and his frown-
ing aspect reddens at my dcubts. If integrity
be not dearer to me than life ; I say, " I be-
lieve : enrol me among the faithful." The le-
gislators among the ancient pagans were placed
in the same situation. As soon as the people
received their code, and yielded to their domi-
nion, all the power of the state was in their
hands.
" Rex Anius, rex idem hominiun, Phcebique sacerdos.1*
VIRGIL
Anius, who is not only the priest of Apollo,
but the king of men, may bid me examine his
system, and satisfy myself as to its truth,
which, he says, is evident to all. But I look
around, and I perceive the lictors and the dun-
geon,— which are not favourable to free inquiry-
Endeavouring to conceal my fears, I turn to
140
him and say, •?"? King Anius, urgent business
calls me away, I pray thee have me excused."
from these let us turn to the founder of
Christianity. Jesus appeared among the Jews
as a private person, in no outward splendour,
and vested with no civil authority. " Who
made me a judge or a divider among you ?"
said he to a man who wished him to interfere
in settling some domestic disputes. All his in-
fluence arose from his wisdom, his goodness,
and his divine power. " My kingdom," he
replied to Pilate, " is not of this world." — The
apostles resembled their Master. They had no
commission from any of the kings of the earth.
They were private citizens, unconnected with
the great; and plain men, strangers to the ad-
dress of the courtier, and the man of fashion.
They were connected with none of the rulers
of the world, in order to acquire influence.
They knew nothing of them, but when they
were dragged before their tribunals to answer
for their doctrine, and their conduct. Nor had
they learnt the seduction of human eloquence.
Most of them shew by their writings, that they
were strangers to it, and incapable of its fasci-
nating arts. But as is evident from the New
Testament, they brought forward their system
with all plainness and simplicity ; and present-
ed it to their hearers for their consideration and
reception. Men might object, or express their
difficulties and their doubts, without fear of in-
lil
jury on that account. Could any method be
more favourable for mankind than this ? If the
apostles acquired any influence over the minds
of others, it must have arisen from their un-
affected goodness, integrity, and benevolence ;
not from the imposing power of external cir-
cumstances, or from cunning craftiness. Iap-
peal to thee, O Deist, was not the world fairly
treated as to the manner of the introduction of
Christianity ; and had not men the fullest op-
portunity of examining its pretensions ?
142
CHAPTER V.
OF THE EVIDENCE FOR THE DIVINE AUTHORITY OF TH£
NEW TESTAMENT, ARISING FROM MIRACLES.
When persons profess to be the messengers of
a revelation from God, whether in speech or
writing, it is natural to ask, " What evidence
do 3'ou produce for so high a claim ?" They
may say, " We are conscious to ourselves that
we are inspired of God to declare his will to
men, and we cannot doubt it." — But though
this satisfies you, it does not satisfy my mind :
it may be evidence to you, but it is none to
me. If God give a revelation of his will, he
will give evidence of this, not only to those
whom he commissions to publish it, but to those
whom he commands to receive it. This is but
reasonable ; and its reasonableness Christianity
acknowledges.
Mahomet was able to produce no satisfactory
external evidence of a divine mission. His
kinsman Ali's reply to him is remarkable. " O
prophet, whosoever rises against thee, I will
dash out his teeth, tear out his eyes, break his
legs, rip up his belly." By such forcible ar-
guments did the religion of the Koran make its
way in the world. Had any of the writers of
the New Testament spoken thus, an impartial
jury would give a verdict instantly against
them, and dismiss the cause. But like honest
143
iiien, conscious of the validity of their mission,
they lay before us their credentials ; and intreat
us to examine them with attention.
In addition to the proofs arising out of the na-
ture of the truths revealed, and the other con-
sideration which have been noticed, they pro-
duce two kinds of evidence for our satisfaction ;
the one exhibiting a display of divine power,
the other, a manifestation of divine knowledge
and wisdom ; or, in other words, Miracles
and Prophecies. More convincing proofs of
God's interfering in an extraordinary manner
to seal a commission from himself, it will be
difficult to produce. Miracles were confined
to the age of those who laid claim to inspira-
tion : they introduced the gospel to mankind ;
but the evidence of them descends in the form
of testimony, from generation to generation.
Prophecy, where it has respect to a course of
events, increases the evidence from age to age,
by the accomplishment of particular predictions*
These two branches have this in their favour,
that they have approved themselves to the ge-
neral judgment of mankind : for when any
person pretended to a divine commission, the
usual proof was a miracle, or a prediction.
Whatever credit might be due to the claim, the
kind of proof was looked upon to be good.
Let us consider the validity of those adduced
in favour of Christianity, — and in this chapter
take a view of the miracles.
144
SECTION L
The Possibility and Existence of the Miracles of the
New Testament.
Almighty power is that perfection of the Su-
preme Being which most generally and forci-
bly strikes the minds of men. An extraordi-
nary display of it on objects within the reach
of our observation, furnishes one of the most
satisfactory evidences of divine revelation.
This display we call a miracle. u There can
be no such thing as a miracle,1' some have
loudly cried, " because the Deity has establish-
ed certain laws by which he maintains an in-
violable order in the universe, and which can-
not be broken through." Let it be remember-
ed that this is assertion, and not proof . That mi-
racles are possible, none will deny, who be-
lieve the existence and perfections of God,
Nor are they improbable. He who for valu-
able purposes established these laws, for valua-
ble ends can suspend them : and what is there
contrary either to reason or sound philosophy
to maintain, that it is highly probable, that
God will suspend the laws of the natural world,
in order to accomplish the most noble and im-
portant purposes in the moral world; namely,
his own glory, and the reformation and highest
happiness of mankind ? Here is certainly an
145
end worthy of God, and productive of the most
beneficial effects in the order and state of the
universe. Were it merely to excite wonder,
to gratify curiosity, or to answer some inferior
purpose, philosophy might argue against them ;
but it cannot with effect, when so valuable an
end is intended, and promoted by them. Be-
sides, who can say that it was not a part of
God's plan, a section in the divine constitution,
that at certain seasons, and on certain occasions,
the laws of nature should be suspended, and
miracles wrought. Ordinary regulations are
adapted to the ordinary course of things : ex-
traordinary events require and warrant extraor-
dinary interpositions and exertions.
SECTION II.
The Number, Variety, and Manner of the Miracles
performed in Confirmation of the Christian Religion.
If only one or two miracles had been wrought
to confirm the truth of Christianity, it might
have been considered as a fortunate chance,
which occurred at a convenient season. But
the number was very great. Above fifty dif-
ferent instances occur in the gospels, of Christ's
miraculous exertions ; and of consequence the
opportunities of examination were increased,
H
146
and of deceit proportionally lessened. Besides,
In one scene of miracles, hundreds were heal-
ed of different diseases ; and thousands fed
with a few loaves and fishes.
There was likewise a considerable variety
in the miracles of the New Testament. Had
they been only of one or two kinds, it might
have been said, that the persons had some pe-
culiar skill in performing these cures, or a pe-
culiar art of imposing on men in respect to
them. But so various are the miracles, that
this objection cannot be adduced. Not one
disease only, but all are subject to the power
of Christ and his apostles : not only diseases,
but lameness, blindness, dumbness, deafness,
and other evils incident to humanity are ba-
nished by their word : not only every calamity
which is the lot of the living, but death itself
is obedient to them, and gives up his prey at
their command. Not only man, but every
other being bows in ready subjection to their
voice. Not only living, but inanimate crea-
tures feel the power of Jehovah, and act con-
trary to their natures at his will : The winds,
the waves, the rocks, the earth, the sun, the
heavens, all are the subjects of miraculous ex-
ertions in those who first introduced the chris-
tian dispensation. Every thing was obedient
to their word ; for Jehovah invested them with
his power.
The manner in which these miracles were
147
wrought, also merits notice. The operations
of nature are in general slow ; almost always
gradual: the miracles of the gospel were ge-
nerally instantaneous ; but the effects were last-
in£, and men mis:ht for years afterwards see
them, and receive the report of those who had
been fed, or healed, or raised from the dead.
All were welcome to partake of the benefit of
them ; and no distinction was made between
the rich and the poor. The only exception
was, they would not work miracles to gratify
curiosity, nor sanction unbelief. They were
performed in the most public manner : multi-
tudes were present. If on some occasions most
of the persons were attached to Christ, others
were done before the most inveterate enemies
of the gospel, and extorted their belief, and at-
testation. There was great authority in
Christ's manner ; but it was entirely free from
ostentation : and there was a remarkable so-
briety, decorum, and dignity in his miracles,
and in the attending circumstances. They
display something above the ordinary charac-
ter of man.
h 2
148
SECTION III,
The Design of the Miracles recorded in the
Neiv Testament.
Christ and his apostles sought not fame by
their miracles : not one was performed to pro-
cure admiration. They all arose naturally
out of occasions which presented themselves in
the course of their ministry; and were acts of
evident utility. The heathen miracles are so
detached from the history, that they may be
taken out, and it remains entire. But the mi-
racles of Christ spring naturally out of the nar-
rative of his life, and form an essential part of
it ; and cannot be taken away without rending
in pieces the whole. They are likewise high-
ly beneficial ; but not to the persons who per-
formed them : for they had not in view either
their advantage or their ease. Christ and his apo-
stles did no miracle to satisfy their own hun-
ger, or to avert any danger to which they were
exposed. In subordination to the honour of
God, the benefit of others was the great object
in view.
The miracles of the gospel gave a bright
display of power, sanctity, and goodness \ and
the design was to establish the belief of the
.divine government, by dispensing acts of be-
I
149
neficence to men ; to teach them what kind of
being their Creator is; and by sealing their
commission from him, to introduce with pro-
per evidence a system of divine truth, calcu-
lated in the highest degree to advance the ho-
nour of God, and the improvement and happi-
ness of the human race. To give power to
work miracles for trifling ends, may well be
considered as unbecoming the divine charac-
ter ; but to do so, in order to introduce a
religion which is to promote the happiness of
the universe through eternity, is nodits Deo
vindict dignus.
In speaking of the design of the miracles of
the New Testament, it is of importance to
mention, that they were the subjects of pro-
phecy long before, Isaiah xxxv. 5,6.; and the
Messiah was described by this particular
mark : " that by him the eyes of the blind should
be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped. "
Christ appeals to his miracles as the seal of his
commission, and as an incontestible proof that
he came forth from God. John v. 36, 37. " But
I have greater witness than that of John : for
the works which the Father hath given me to
perform, the same works that I do bear witness
of me, that the Father hath sent me. And the
Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne
witness of me." John xiv. I II " Believe me that
I am in the Father, and the Father in me : or else,
believe me {qr the very works' sake."
150
SECTION IV.
The Time and Place of the Miracles of the Neiv Tes-
tament considered as furnishing Evidence in favour
of Christianity,
If there were miracles in every age, they
would, in a great measure, lose their nature,
and cease to be evidence. We may, there-
fore, naturally expect that a particular season
will be chosen for the display of them : and,
on examination, we may perceive the wisdom
and goodness of God manifested in the choice.
When the system of the universe was fram-
ed, a multitude of miracles, or extraordinary
exertions of almighty power was necessary,
before these laws of nature which now exist,
<?ould begin to run their course. In like man-
ner, at the commencement of a divine revela-
tion, miracles are necessary, or at least expe-
dient, to set the moral machine in motion, and
to give it the impulse that is sufficient to con-
tinue its motion by the aid of ordinary means,
which, in the moral world, answer the same
purposes as the laws established in the natural
world.
On a minute investigation, other reasons ap-
pear, which display more fully the fitness both
151
of the time and place of miracles. There was*
a nation, or rather one great family , which
God had selected for the purpose of preserving
those divine truths which were preparatory to
that grand revelation, which was to lay the
foundation of the future felicitj- of the world.
To miracles they were not strangers. Moses
wrought them, and other eminent prophets:
and it was predicted by them that the Messiah
would in still greater abundance. Among this^
people Jesus arosey and performed hip wonderful
works, and gave them the fullest opportunity
of examining his character.- Among them too,
the apostles first began their ministry, accom-
panied with many notable miracles. From
thence they went to the gentiles, and presented
the same evidence to them, confirming their
doctrine by these supernatural acts, which ma-
nifested the hand of God to be with them.
It will be difficult to conceive a state of things
in which miracles could be wrought, that was
more favourable for the investigation of them.
There appears a fitness, that the evidence'
should be first presented to this great family of
the Jews, whilst they dwelt together. By their
freedom from gross superstition, and their su-
perior acquaintance with divine principles, they
were best qualified to judge. At the same time,
as the manner of Christ's appearance shocked
their prejudices, and destroyed all their hopes
of worldly domination and national superiority,
132
they would examine their reality with eagles'
eyes. As they were afterwards to be dispersed
over the face of the earth, they would carry
the confutation of Christianity writh them, if in
their power. By this arrangement, the gentiles .
had miracles wrought among them also, in the
most enlightened age of antiquity, and in every
country wrhere the apostles preached the gos-
pel. The enemies of Christianity had hereby
an opportunity of combining their enquiries
with men in other parts of the Roman empire,
and of the civilized world : and gentiles might
call in the aid of the Jews dispersed among
them. So evident are the advantages which
result from the time and place, where mira-
cles in support of Christianity were performed-
SECTION V,
Evidence of the Reality of the Miracles of the New
Testament.
" But I give no credit to miracles," says a
deist. This may be an act of reason, or it may
not. God never requires us to believe without
evidence : but where sufficient evidence is given,
he is highly and justly displeased at men's
153
unbelief. Miracles are capable of proof, jii3t
as well as other events which take place in the
ordinary course of nature. An eastern king,
when a Dutch ambassador told him that water
congealed in Holland, and bore men and horses
and wraggons, replied in anger, " It is false
and impossible, for no such thing was ever seen
in Siam." But the concealing: of water in Hoi-
land can be proved just in the same way, and
with as much force,, as its remaining in a
liquid state in Siam. Like many opposers of
Christianity, the monarch in the torrid zone for-
got that the experience of one man, in one
country, or one age, is not the experience of
every man, in every country, and in every age y
and that what one has not seen and accounts
impossible, another may have seen, and can
testify to be certain. The idea of the proof of
miracles being impossible, is absurd. All that
is required, is evidence, sufficient evidence :
and where the thing testified, is of an extraor-
dinary nature, the greater degree of evidence
may be necessary ; and in a revelation from
God may be required. The expectation is rea-
sonable : let the rule be applied to miracle Sv
Demand sufficient evidence to satisfy a reason-
able man : it will he found, for God is not only
just but good.
A miracle, to those who see it, is an object
of sense. To those who have not seen it, the
evidence must arise from testimony, the testi-
H a
154
mony of the person who performed the mira-
cle, the testimony of them on whom it was
performed, or the testimony of the people who
were eye witnesses of it. All these may be
combined with such force in the confirmation
of a miracle, that if their united testimony be
rejected, we can have no certainty of any thing
whatever. There are no ancient events which
have such a -weight of evidence in their favour,
as the miracles of Christ and his apostles. We
have the union of all the three kinds of proof
which have been just mentioned. The apostles
who wrought miracles, bear testimony both by
solemn declarations before their enemies, and
by written documents: and what credit is due
to their testimony an investigation of their
character will shew. There is also the evi-
dence of the persons on whom the miracles
were wrought, as in the instance of the man
born blind, who was restored to sight by Christ
himself, John ix. and of the lame man who
was healed by Peter and John, Actsiii. But
the testimony of the eye-witnesses is perhaps
the most remarkable of all. Thousands who
saw the miracles, embraced the gospel, and ex-
posed themselves to the hatred of the world,
and persecution ; and many of them endured
a cruel death. Would they suffer all these on
purpose to support a falsehood ? It is contrary
to the moral order of the universe. In short, v
here is a miracle, at any rate. He who denies
155
the miracles of the New Testament, must allow
one which is equally great, namely, that some
invisible acrent so deranged the minds of thou-
sands, and so confounded and perverted their
operations, that men who, in all other matters,-
conducted themselves with reason and judg-
ment, acted here in direct opposition to all the
governing principles of human nature; to duty,
to integrity, to interest, to honour, to fcappi-
ness ; and all this merely to support a false-
hood. The testimony thus given, was not
contradicted by the enemies of. the gospel
who lived at the time: reason mast there^
fore conclude, they had nothing to say
against it.
SECTION VI. .
A: Review of seme particular Miracles of the New
Testament. .
More fully to establish, or rather to display
the certainty of the miracles of the New Testa-
raent, a particular consideration of them is ear-
nestly recommended, I .instance in the three
following by way of specimen.
The ninth chapter of John's gospel records
the history of a man born bli?id, whom Jesus re-
stored to sight. He is brought before the pha~-
156
risees, the mortal enemies of Christ and of his
cause. He is interrogated, threatened, cast
out of the synagogue. But after you have
attentively surveyed every particular, ob-
serve the result of the whole. They cannot
adduce one circumstance in the way of con-
futation.
There is another instance, in the case of a
man lame from his birth, whom the Apostles
healed, Acts iii. They are dragged to the tri-
bunal of the ecclesiastical rulers. They are
closely questioned respecting the matter.
They assert the reality of the miracle. They
declare that it was in the name of Jesus of Na-
zareth, that the man was made whole, — that
Jesus whom they had crucified. What discove-
ries do the chief priests make? The apostles
are in their hands. The man who had been
lame, is standing by. They are vested with
full power as magistrates, to take cognizance
of the matter. If there be deceit, it must be
detected. But no discovery is made ; and im-
mediately afterwards five thousand Jews em-
brace the gospel.
But the most remarkable miracle of all is the
resurrection of Jesus Christ. Peruse the history
with care; and you must conclude either that
he rose, or that his disciples stole the body
away. The last, the more it is considered, the
more improbable it appears. Jesus had de-
clared; that he would rise again on the third
157
day. The heads of the Jewish nation knew
this, and determined to prevent any craft or
force being employed by his followers, to take
the body from the tomb, and then pretend that
he was risen. A stone is rolled to the mouth
of the sepulchre ; a seal is fixed upon it, and a
guard of Roman soldiers. set. Will the timid
disciples who ran away when their master was
seized, now attack a band of armed men ; or
could they hope to carry off the body secretly ?
What is more improbable? — Besides, if they
had reason to think their master had deceived
them, and filled their minds wit'h false expecta-
tions ; instead of running any risk to get the
body into their possession, they would rather
have renounced all connection with him for
ever. Had they even stolen away the body as
was said, that would have entirely cooled the
ardour of their affection, and have banished
the enthusiasm of love from their breasts, ne-
ver to return. But their future lives, by the
ardent fervour of their affectionate zeal, still
more strongly confute the supposition.
It is evident the body is gone. The apostles
describe the resurrection of their master ; and
assert that he appeared to them on the very
day he rose, and frequently afterwards. Read
the soldiers' account, Matt, xxviii. Observe
the conduct of the rulers. Why do they not
order the apostles to be seized ? Why do they
not command the soldiers to be punished ? Why
158
ife> they not -tring the whole to a juridical de-
termination ? Whjr is this neglect in men, who
had been so anxious to have a guard placed on
the sepulchre ? On the supposition of the re-
surrection, of Jesus, the whole is natural and
easy:: on a supposition that the disciples came
and stole the body away, every thing is inex-
plicable.— In short,, the more attentively every
miracle is examined, the stronger evidence it
will be foundto contain. Will it be said,. " The
apostles had, the writing of their own story, and
the telling of their own tale ?" But does not
the success of the gospel plainly shew, that
their account could not be contradicted nor
disproved? In fact, what contradiction of this
miracle do the writings of the adversaries of the
gospel contain ? what proof that the resurrection,
of Jesus did not take place * ?
Lay these things together, and let them be
duly weighed : it is impossible but that they
* The silence of Josephus on the subject, and of Thilo,
and of the earliest writers, after the publication of the gos-
pel, is a very singular circumstance ; and gives reason to
conclude, that they could not. deny the reality of the mira-
clesof Christ, and durst not attempt the refutation of the-
Gospels and Acts of the Apostles, nor the vindicatioa.
of the rulers and priests from the charges of black and com.
plicated guilt, which were brought against them by the fol-
lowers of Jesus.
159
must have weight with a considerate mind.
The miracles of Christ and his apostles were
published all around, as soon as they were
performed. They were committed to the page
of history, in the same age, in the same coun-
try, and for the inspection of the same people
among whom they were wrought. They were
likewise immediately acted upon both by
friends, and by foes. Had there been any de-
ception, it was easy to discover it: and soon
.discovered it must have been, because the most
important consequences depended on the dis-
covery. Here is evidence of a superior kind ;.
and the world can produce nothing like it. The
stories of miracles recorded several hundreds
of years after they were performed, and at a
distance from the scene of action, such as those
of Pythagoras, and Apollonius of Tyanar and
in Livy's history, will not bear a comparison,
are unworthy of attention for a moment, and
'have not even probable evidence in their sup-
port. Some have expressed themselves lightly
concerning miracles, as if it were an easy thing
to lay claim to them ; and success were not
difficult : but they did not derive these senti-
ments from the history of mankind. Where a
system is established, its votaries may pretend
to miracles in order to support its influence ;
and being surrounded by those who are as much
attached to it as themselves, they may succeed
in the imposture. But produce an instance in
160
the page of history, of persons introducing- a
new religion which was in direct opposition to
all those already established, and offering mira-
cles as the evidence that the religion was from
God r Here, after Moses, Christianity stands
alone : and the world does not present another
example of the kind. However much any
might have been disposed to make the trial,
they felt the difficulty, and shrunk back. The
apostles of Christ advance boldly to the field.
Multitudes see the miracles, embrace the gos-
pel, change not only their sentiments, but their
habits, and their conduct ; and suffer death on
its account. Its enemies have left nothing on
record, that has the shadow of an argument
against its truth, or of an objection to its di-
vine authority.
161
CHAPTER VI.
OF THE EVIDENCE FOR THE DIVINE AUTHORITY OF THE
NEW TESTAMENT, ARISING FROM PROPHECY.
^Vhether miracles or prophecies furnish the
strongest evidence for the truth of revelation
it may not be easy to determine. Each has its
advantages. Miracles, at the time they are
wrought, carry deep conviction of the power
of God displayed in favour of the truth. We
frequently perceive this effect in the spectators,
when Christ gave sight to the blind, and health
to the diseased: they were astonished, they
-were amazed , they glorified God. On the other
hand, the fulfilment of prophecy which has
been pregnant with the event for ages, and at
last travails in birth, and brings forth, must
strike every observer with equal force, though
in a different way ; and manifests the divine
foreknowledge and wisdom bearing witness,
that the religion, which it was designed to con-
firm, is from God. When the two are united,
what stronger external evidence can we con-
ceive !
That the gospel can boast of its miracles has
been shewn : it has prophecies likewise to bring
forward in support of its claims ; and not mere-
162
ly one or two insulated predictions, but a vast
body, connected in its parts, stretching through
scores of centuries, and calling our attention to
the most striking and prominent features of
particular events. " But there have been many
impostures in this way," the enemy of the gos-
pel objects. It is granted •, but what does it
prove ? If a person declares that an event has
taken place, which never took place, is it a
proof that no declaration concerning any event
which is past, is worthy of credit? It is just
the same with respect to events which are to
come. Besides, false pretences to a thing fur-
nish a strong presumption that there are some-
where just claims. There would be no coun-
terfeit, were there no sterling money. Let the
subject of prophecy be candidly weighed.
SECTION L
The Character of the Prophets.
The men, whom God has employed as instru-
ments in providence, for accomplishing his de-
signs, by changes among the nations of the
earth, have often been the vilest of human kind.
But when he has commissioned persons to act
as his servants in revealing his will, and calling
\ 163
sinners to repentance and subjection, they have
always been both like himself and their com-
mission , wise and holy men. Such, on exa-
mination, will the character of the prophets,
both of the Old Testament and of the New, be
found. If writings (and the description is con-
fined to such as wrote a portion of these hallow-
ed volumes) can furnish evidence of the intel-
lectual and moral qualities of the authors, the
palm of eminent wisdom and goodness must
be given them. There is a superiority to evil
principles and selfish ends. That they did
not exercise the office for gain, is evident from
the nature of their predictions. These were
very often such as to be calculated to procure
injuries instead of benefits; and a prison and
death, instead of a life of ease and afflue:
They did not, like the false prophets, flatter
nobles and princes, and prophesy smooth things
to sooth their passions, and confirm them in
their ways ; but frankly told the plain truth,
when they knew it would be disagreeable in
the extreme, and would endanger their own
safety. Fame was not their object : they never
sought it: and we seldom find them in courts
or among the great, but to tell unpalatable
truths. They had not the spirit of the world ;
nor did they view the scenes they exhibit with
worldly eyes. Insensible to the charms of
greatness, power, and earthly joys, they re-
gard every object which is presented before
164
them, only as it has respect to God, and man's
subjection to him: for the honour of God, the
kingdom of Christ, and the highest happiness
of men are evidently the objects which bear
sway within their hearts, and govern their con-
duct. They have occasion to mention all kinds
of persons and things, and to represent all kinds
of events : but it is easy to perceive that they
are affected with them, only as they are con-
nected with the grand system of the divine go-
vernment, and as hindering or advancing the
moral improvement of mankind.
SECTION II.
The Nature, Minuteness, and Extent of Prophecy.
There have been many instances of men
foretelling events ; and according to their con-
jecture they have taken place : this has been
sometimes the effect of accident, sometimes of
superior sagacity. Hence the opposers of
Christianity have been ready to consider the
prophecies in no higher light. But a little at-
tention will discover an immense difference.
A naked event may be frequently foreseen, as
the effect of an existing, operating cause. But
the prophets record events with considerable
165
minuteness : circumstances are appended : the
persons, the cause, the effect, the manner, the
time, the place, make a part of the prediction.
This wholly alters the case : and it is ten thou-
sand to one, if the man who conjectured aright
as to the mere event would have succeeded,
had these formed a part of his narrative.
The things predicted are likewise of such a
nature as to bid defiance to human conjecture.
Some of them were novel in their kind, some
uncommon, many improbable ; not a few, the
very reverse of what might be expected to take
place ; and some, as the resurrection and as-
cension of Christ, and the pouring out of his
spirit, were supernatural. Many of the events
were of so contingent, and some of so impro-
bable a nature, that the foresight of them ex-
ceeds the greatest human sagacity. It belongs
to God alone, and to those whom he inspires.
The extensive range of prophecy raises it
still higher above the powers of man. Were
but a few events predicted ; were they com-
prized within a small space ; and were they
unconnected with each other, the evidence
would be less strong. The heathen oracles
had no system. An insulated event now and
then took place according to the response: but
there was no important object in view : no
whole, of which these formed a part. How
different is the scene before us ! The number
of events is exceedingly great. The space of
166
time which they occupy, is immense : they
stretch through some thousand years. As to
place, they spread over the face of the whole
earth, as the scene of fulfilment. Instead of
an unconnected mass, there is a regular chain
bf events, related to, and connected with each
other, and forming one grand whole. In short,
prophecy forms a succinct previous history, of
the destinies of the human race : it notes down
with distinctness the most memorable seras ;
and describes, with characters strongly mark-
ed, the divine dispensations of judgment and
mercy.
Prophecy, in this view, acquires a wonderful
accession of evidence. If men may conjecture
some near and insulated events depending on
causes which already exist, it is utterly impos-
sible for any but those who are taught of God,
to foretell so extensive and complicated a plan,
where mauy of the causes were not, at the
time of the prediction, brought into existence :
nor could human or even angelic sagacity fore-
see that they ever would exist.
167
SECTION III.
The Design of Prophecy.
To be able to gratify curiosity, feeds the pride
of the human heart. To display qualities which
others do not possess, in order to acquire supe*
riority, and to be admired, is exceedingly na-
tural to man. But how remote are these things
from the spirit and design of the holy pro-
phets! In pretences to prophecy among the
heathens, all the object of the enquirer was to
have curiosity gratified, or to render the an-
swer subservient to the pursuits of ambition,
avarice, or pleasure : and if the person pre-
tending to divination or oracular responses had
any object beyond the reward presented by the
enquirer, it was merely to produce admiration,
and give credit to a gainful imposture. But
the prophets of the scriptures have infinitely
higher ends in view. To confirm the truth
and authority of a revelation, to give more ex-
alted views of God, to produce faith in the Sa-
viour, to create submission to the divine will,
to excite to perseverance in the service of God,
to communicate support under sufferings for
religion, to console christians amidst the rage
and enmity of the world, and to justify the
168
ways of God to man, is the design of their pre-
dictions : and who can say but that it is a
design worthy of men who came with a com-
mission from God ?
That unity of design in the doctrines and
scope of the gospel which appears in the writ-
ers of the New Testament, might well be
urged as a forcible argument in support of the
general question. It is here adduced only in
confirmation of the prophecies of scripture.
This connected chain of events, this previous
history of future times is the more remarkable,
as the prophets lived in different countries
and in different ages. When men live all in
one place, it may be said they have conspired
to impose on the world, by inventing a tale in
which they all may agree. But as to the pro-
phets who preceded Christ's coming, many
could have no connexion with the others. Each
however, performs the part assigned him by
heaven : and we see the stone which he has po-
lished, exactly fit the place it was designed for
in the building, and give enlargement, strength,
and beauty to the whole. None of them are
copyists. ^. While they speak (as is often the
case) of the same thing, it is with some addi-
tional circumstances ; and each has something
new to predict, which was made known to
him alone.
1
m
SECTION IV.
The Degree of Clearness in Prophecy.
Complaints have been made of the dark-
ness and uncertainty of prophecy ; but do
they not arise from not duly considering its
manner and design ? The language is assign-
ed as one cause of its obscurity : the indis-
tinctness of representation as another. With
what reason shall be seen.
As prophecy is a peculiar species of writing,
it is natural to expect a peculiarity in the lan-
guage it makes use of. Sometimes it employs
plain terms, but most commonly figurative
signs. It has symbols of its own, which arc
common to all the prophets : but it is not to
be considered on this account as a riddle. The
symbols are derived from the works of creation
and providence, from the history of the Jews,
and of the nations with which they were most
closely connected, or by which they were most
violently opposed. These symbols have their
rules of interpretation as uniform, and as cer-
tain as any other kind of language: and who-
ever applies his mind with patience and atten-
tion to the subject, will be able to understand
the general scheme of prophecy, and the co-
lour of events foretold, whether prosperous or
calamitous ; though he may be utterly unable
170
to discover to what person, or precise time
and place, they are to be applied.
Complaint has likewise been made of want
of clearness in prophecy, from an indistinct re-
presentation of the event. But yet let it be re-
membered, that if some prophecies be obscure,
others are clear. The latter furnish a proof
of the inspiration of the scriptures ; the for-
mer contain nothing against it. The obscurity
is in many instances accounted for from the
extensive grasp of prophecy. Some predic-
tions were to have their accomplishment in the
early ages of the church ; and were peculiarly
designed for the benefit of the first chris-
tians. These were on that acount more plain.
There were other predictions designed for the
benefit of those who lived in the middle ages.
To the first christians these were obscure : but
when the time advanced toward their accom-
plishment, the veil was gradually drawn aside ;
and they were more clearly seen, and better
understood. Another class of predictions look-
ed forward to the latter ages of the church.
These appeared obscure both to the first chris-
tians, and to those who lived in the middle
ages; but when that generation appeared, for
whose use it was the will of heaven they should
be left on record, light began to shine upon
them ; and the minds of men were awakened
to look out for the accomplishment, in some
great events, which would display the glory of
171
God, and advance the happiness of his ser-
vants. The obscurity of man}' prophecies will
be accounted for in this way.
Another reason for throwing a veil over the
face of prophecy, whether by its peculiar sym-
bols, or a dark representation, will appear by
considering the nature of the subject. Some
of the events foretold are of such a nature, that
the fate of nations depends upon them ; and
they are to be brought into existence, by the
instrumentality of men. Had plain language
or clear description been employed, the friends
of Christianity would have endeavoured to ac-
complish them, by means used with this express
design. On the other hand, its enemies would
have exerted every nerve in order to prevent
the accomplishment. In the present form of
prophecj', men are left in these matters entire-
ly to themselves; and fulfil the prophecies
without intending, or thinking, or knowing
that they do so. The accomplishment strips
off the veil ; and the evidence of prophecy ap-
pears in all its splendour. How much wiser God's
methods are, than man's would be !
SECTION V.
The Prophecies concerning Christ.
Let those who assert predictions to be fortu-
nate conjectures, stop for a moment and seri-
I 2
172
ously consider the prophecies of the Old Tes-
tament (the first volume of this book, and of
equal authority, as may be afterwards shewn,)
concerning the Messiah. Perhaps there may
be an hundred passages or more, each contain-
ing somewhat distinct and peculiar in the de-
scription of his character : a character in which
are many things very remarkable, and some
apparently contradictory : see particularly
Isaiah liii. They w ere recorded by different
men, in different countries, and in different
ages : and the last, some centuries before his
appearance. Christians say, that all these pre-
dictions relate to Jesus Christ. The matter is
capable of accurate examination. History, sa-
cred and profane, furnishes us with a number
of heroes, warriors, statesmen, kings, sages,
and philosophers. Apply the prophecies to
any of them you please. Take Judas, or Pe-
ter, or John, or Herod : or go to profane his-
tory : take Alexander or Caesar ; or, if you
think it will answer better, take Confucius,
Socrates, or Marcus Antoninus. Apply to any
of them the prophecies of the Old Testa-
ment. If one particular suits, a second does
rot : a third renders it evident, that not one
of them is the man designed. Apply them to
Christ ; apply all the hundred or more ; an as-
tonishing correspondence appears: everyone
fits him : there is not a single prediction which
is discordant. He that will call this chance,
173
and ascribe the agreement merely to fortuitous
circumstances, is not fitf to be argued with ;
and must not say that christians alone are cre-
dulous.
There is a circumstance peculiarly striking,
which we should not pass over ; namely, that
the predictions concerning Christ, are all in
the keeping of his enemies. Had the disciples
of Jesus been the sole guardians of the sacred
books, it might be said, that they altered them
to make the prophecy accord with the event.
But the Jews are the keepers, the jealous keep-
ers of the ancient prophets : and their hatred
to Christ and his cause is at least as strong, as
their veneration for the prophets of their na-
tion. Ask them for the book *, they will give
it you, and curse Jesus of Nazareth. But read
it, and you will find a perfect agreement be-
tween the prediction and the event, in the cha-
racter of Christ ; and that it is not without
sufficient reason we believe, that Jesus is tile
true Messiah promised of old.
SECTION VI.
TJie Destruction of Jerusalem hy the Romans.
Xhere are three examples peculiarly striking,
which I shall present to view from the New
1 /4
Testament : one is near the time of the pre-
diction: the second remote by many centu-
ries : the third holding forth the light of its
evidence from the age of the prophecy to the
present hour, with this difference only, that
the light grows clearer and stronger as we ad*
ranee in the journey: the star is become a sun.
Thus, men in every age have a prophecy in ac-
tual fulfilment to support their faith. Let us
begin with the first, the destruction of Jerusa-
lem by the Romans.
A mere general declaration that an event
will take place, deserves not much attention,
nor furnishes much evidence. It may come to
pass, although the prediction has no higher
origin than human sagacity, or even bold con-
jecture. But the case is widely different, when
time, place, circumstances, persons engaged,
causes and effects are particularly delinea-
ted : all these enter into the prophecy be-
fore us.
The event itself was improbable, for Jerusa-
lem was already in the hands of the Romans ;
and there was no likelihood that the Jews
would drive them away. Though they felt sore
under the Roman yoke, their state presented
nothing like the power of shaking it off. Few
instances are on record of cities in that age so
totally destroyed. The slaughter of the inha-
bitants far exceeded what ordinarily took place.
The particular circumstances of the siege, the,
175
causes which protracted it, the reasons of the
fearful loss of lives which ensued, the miseries
which spread over the land, the depopulation
of the country in general, the degradation of
the survivors to personal slavery, and the scat-
tering of them over the face of the earth, these,
no human wisdom could foresee : and all was
to take place before that generation should
pass away.
As the prediction was remarkable, so was the
accomplishment. Were I to send you to a
christian writer for information On the point,
you might say, " Zeal for his religion has filled
his book with pious frauds, to make the event
accord with the prediction." I. rejoice -that I
can send you to a Jew : an enemy of the gos-
pel shall be your oracle. Josephus's history of
the wars of his countrymen with the Romans,
contains a full account of the fate of his nation :
and he was well qualified for writing it, for he
was deeply concerned in the work, and bore a
public office. Do not take a christian's word
for the fulfilment ; but read the Jewish record
and compare it with the prediction of Christ,
in the gospel by Matt, xxiii. 38. xxiv. and
Luke xxi. If you be earnest in wishing to
know the true religion, that you may attain
eternal happiness, you will not think the labour
too great.
That the evidence may appear in all its lus-
tre, observe the minute circumstances on which
176
the. war depended, the fortuitous events which
produced it, the casual occurrences which con-
tributed to its extent and continuance, the
rising passions at the moment which gave a
turn to affairs, the objects appearing in view
which suggested further plans, the purposes
formed in consequence of existing circumstan-
ces, and the unpremeditated acts of obscure in-
dividuals which led to the most important con-
sequences. To produce the final catastrophe
in its full extent, these all combined, and all
were necessary : and these, non6 but God
could foresee, and none but God's servants
predict.
SECTION VII.
The Prophecies concerning Antichrist.
What Christianity was in its origin, read the
New Testament and see. There appears a sys-
tem of truth taught by unassuming men with all
humility ; a system of infinite simplicity as to
outward forms ; to be propagated without force
and compulsion ; and containing no other tie
but that of brotherly love : a system, the mi-
nisters employed in teaching which, were to
have no authority, but what arose from the vo-
luntary subjection of men to the doctrine of
177
Christ: not what the ministers declared to be
so ; but what they themselves were satisfied was
so, from their own examination and conviction.
The prediction mentioned above delineates
a state of things as widely different as night
from day. It represents a system or power
arising in the christian church in direct oppo-
sition to its genius, tendency, and spirit; the
very antipode of the gospel. That Christianity
would be corrupted in a course of time, was
no improbable conjecture : and the mere decla-
ration that such an event would take place,
could confer no claim to the gift of prophecy.
But such a prediction as this concerning Anti-
christ, surpasses all human foresight. Conjec-
ture could not have stretched her wines so far.
Besides, the numerous distinguishing charac-
ters, causes, effects, and circumstances of this
strange phenomenon are so minutely delineated,
that the divine foreknowledge alone could have
drawn the picture. See the description in
2 Thess. ii. 1 Tim. iv. Rev. xiii. xvii — xix.
It is of a power rising up within the christian
church, and arrogating the name to itself: fos-
tering ignorance, superstition, idolatry, and
will-worship: displaying craft, pride, ambi-
tion, and luxury: and exercising tyrannv,
cruelty, and intolerance. Have the goodness
to read the passages with care, and duly weigh
them. Is this the church of Christ ? Is this his
religion ? How astonishing the change ! In-
i 3
17S
stead of the simple doctrine of the gospel, a
huge mass of uncouth and scholastic dogmas !
Instead of its unadorned worship, all the pomp
and pageantry which the spirit of the world
eould display. Instead of its humble ministers,
men adorned with gorgeous robes of fantastic
forms, and decked with goldy and silver, and
precious stones. Instead of instruction by
truth, the mind is famished; but the eye and
the ear, the senses and the imagination are
feasted with bows and genuflections, with the
melody of sounds, and pleasing spectacles, and
long processions, and fragrant incense. A
complete worldly system is framed ; and a man
dwelling in the city built on seven hills, be-
comes the head, and holds all the reins of do*
minion in his hand : ti^ht and firm he does
hold them ; and all move obedient to his will.
Instead of honouring the apostles whose names
are ever in his. mouth, he assumes an equality
or even a superiority: he calls himself infal-
lible. Those of his kingdom who blush to
assign him that dignity, gravely assert that two
or three hundred bishops, all fallible, when met
in what is called a general council, become in-
fallible in all their decisions on the doctrines
and duties of Christianity. Mark reader ! Each
of these men is fallible as an individual ; but
when two or three hundred of them are assem-
bled in all the weaknesses and passions of fal-
lible men, they become thereby infallible \ and
179
their decision in every matter is the decision of
Jesus Christ himself. Nay more, the bishops
who have derived their authority from this
wondrous man, the head of the anti-christian
kingdom, by laying their hands on any person
whom they approve, and uttering a certain
form of words, convey to him a new and inde-
lible character. In consequence of the autho-
rity thus received, he has power to forgive sins;
and by pronouncing four words, he can change
the substance of bread and wine into the sub-
stance of flesh and blood.
Far from listening to the voice of Christ,
when he said, " Who made me a judge and di-
vider among you ?" — " my kingdom is not of
this world ;" the man in the city upon the-sevetx
hills, who calls himself his vicar, claimed the
kingdoms of the earth as his own ; and dis-
posed of all the countries which should be dis-
covered to the west, to one nation, and all that
should be discovered to the east,, to another;,
asserted the territories of Europe to be at his
disposal ;. loosed subjects from their allegiance,,
and kings from their oaths ; laid the fairest
kingdoms in Christendom under an interdict;,
deposed monarchs from their thrones, and gave
them to others by his word ; and demanded an
honorary revenue from: all. Not only did he
assert his superiority to all the sons of men on-
earth, he laid heaven itself under contribution :
and claiming the good works of the saints above
v
180
as a fund of merit at his disposal, sold them to
the highest bidder; and affixed a stipulated
price for the pardon of the most odious crime,
which the blackest heart had planned , or the
most guilty hand had perpetrated ; and for in-
dulgence with impunity for the time to come,
in any sin which human cupidity could crave.
While, aided by his numerous hosts who fat-
tened on the spoils of his conquests, he was
ever watchfully attending to his own interests,
and eagerly improving every circumstance
which occurred to advance them, and extend
his influence, he with eagle's eyes pierced into
every obscure recess,, where men called heretics
were supposed to dwell ; and the softest whis-
pers of the discontented entered into his ears..
To question his authority, to suggest a doubt
whether Christ sanctioned his claims, and to
dare to deny their validity, was certain death.
Unarmed himself, he commanded the rulers of
the nations to execute his decrees: and whe-
ther the unhappy persons were many or fewy
of high or low degree, submission or death was
the only alternative. The single heretic met
his fate by the magistrates fire or sword ; the
heretical tribe or province, by the sanguinary
hands of the crusading host, breathing out blood
and slaughter. Nor did he cease to have re-
course to such inhuman measures, till the light
of knowledge produced a refusal of his bloody
mandates^
,
181
Have I been feigning an imaginary, or haver
I been delineating a real character ? To the his-
tory of Europe I appeal for the truth of what I
assert. For nearly the whole of what I have
said, I appeal, O men of France, to you whose
country has been stained with the blood of hun-
dreds of thousands, merely " because they
would not worship the beast and his image; nor
receive his mark on their foreheads, and on their
hands." Peruse the annals of your nation, and
you will find that the picture I have attempted
to draw, is not an overcharged cavicature, but
a faint outline. — Was it possible to conceive,
that from the bosom of the christian church,
such an odious monster would arise : and could
human foresight have possibly conjectured that
after a lapse of centuries, as it grew to matu-
rity, all the features would gradually acquire
the perfect likeness of the hideous original
which prophecy had described. How impro-
bable was it at the time of the writing of the
New Testament, when a pagan emperor sway-
ed the sceptre, that in a course of years there
should succeed a strange kind of government,,
whose head would be a man calling himself a
christian priest, and the vicegerent of Christ
on earth. This, God alone could foresee; and
God alone could enable the apostles to predict.
It is minutely predicted : and the rise, the vast
dominion, the decline, and the utter destruc-
tion, are all delineated. The two first, history
_182
records ; the third, we have partly heard of,
and partly seen: may the fourth and last
speedily arrive ! You have thought the hide-
ous reign of antichrist, and his craft and cruelty
a sufficient reason for renouncing Christianity :
but you mistake. They furnish a just cause
for rejecting so absurd a system as you former-
ly professed : but they present you with a
striking evidence of the truth and divinity of
the New Testament, in which these abuses
were all described ; and they should influence
you to receive the gospel in its purify. Thus
will the dreadful abuse of Christianity, which
has been adduced as an objection to its truth,
be found to furnish an unanswerable argument
in its favour.
SECTION VIII.
The Existence and State of the Jews as a separate
People.
When I look around me in the world, I ob-
serve a people different from all others in looks,
in manners, and in religion. I enquire into
their origin ; and I find they have been a sepa-
rate people near four thousand years. During
almost half that time, they lived in a Country
bv themselves. But for above seventeen bun-
183
dred years, they have been scattered abroad
over the face of the earth, and sojourned as
strangers under the dominion of others. — Kind
treatment, and a high national character, may
influence men to distinguish themselves from
the rest of the world. But the Jews, on the
contrary, have been every where a hissing and
a reproach : their very name has carried with it
contempt and ignominy. They have been
treated worse than dogs, because they were
Jews : and their religion has exposed them to
the most sanguinary cruelties. The brutal, nay
diabolical behaviour of their enemies has not
been the ebullition of the moment : it has con-
tinued through many revolving ages. It has
not been confined to one place : it has extend-
ed to almost every country. They have been
hissed at and insulted : this was their every day's
usage. They have been robbed, and plunder-
ed, and banished, and killed all the day long.
In what country of Europe have not these
scenes been acted ? Had they concealed their
origin, had they changed their religion, had
they intermarried with the natives of the land
where they lived, they would have escaped
th£se evils ; and their posterity would have beeri
entirely exempted from reproach. This they
well knew : but they still held fast the name,
the manners, the religion of Jews ; and they
intermarried only among themselves. Is there
any other instance of this in the world ? Where
#184
shall it be found ? There is none upon the face
of the earth. Take the matter in all its cir-
cumstances ; and it is unique in the government
of God, and in the history of man.
While I am meditating on the wonderful phe-
nomenon, I recollect it was foretold by Jesus
Christ, Luke xxi. 24; by his apostle Paul, j
Rom. xi. 25 ; and still more particularly by
Moses, a servant of God, who lived near fif-
teen hundred years before the coming of the
Messiah, Lev. xxvi. Deut. xxviii. Not only the
mere event, but the particular circumstances,
their captivity, their dispersion, the contempt
and hatred of the world, the miseries accom-
panying their very name, and the cause of
these, their rejection of the Messiah by unbelief,
all were foretold. Predictions how unlikely!!
Observation and experience gave no counte-
nance to such things. Who can distinguish the
Britons, the Romans, the Saxons, or the Nor-
mans in England •? or the Gauls, the Romans,
and the Franks in France ? Time and intermar- j
riages have formed of them one people. Much
more might it have been expected, that the
sufferings of the Jews, like fire, would have
melted them down into the common mass of
human nature, with the different nations among
which they dwelt. But the prediction, un-
likely as it was, has come to pass in all its
parts : and whoever sees the face of a Jetsp9 sees
a living argument for the truth and divine aut
185
thority "of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.-— It is
likewise worthy of remark, that in their disper-
sion, they carry with them the books of Moses
.and the prophets, which, while they testify of
Christ as the Messiah, contain predictions of
their afflicted state, as a separate people, for
rejecting him. His most inveterate enemies
become the heralds of his glory.
The plans of God, when seen only in part,
frequently appear unsightly and uncouth .
when complete, they are covered .with beauty.
It is so here. What we see, is like the limbs
severed from the human body : and how' muti-
lated and uninviting is the sight ! — But the
wretched state of the Jews will have an end.
It is predicted, that they shall be converted to
the christian faith ; and afterwards live in great
honour and felicity : cc For shame," as one of
their own prophets expresses it, " they shall
have double ; and for confusion they shall re-
joice in their portion : in their land they shall
possess double: everlasting joy shall be upon
them." Isa. Ixi. 7. How strong a presump-
tive proof does their separate state furnish of
their promised restoration ! When they are con-
verted, the argument in favour of the gospel,
designed for the benefit and conviction of the
whole world, will be seen in all its evidence,
and felt in all its force : and its influence on
those who till then continue in unbelief, will
186
be unspeakably great. The evidence in its
present state merits the deepest attention of
every one who rejects the christian religion.
Read and meditate deeply on the subject.
Consider maturely its general nature and de-
sign, and these particular predictions. I car*
confidently appeal to sound judgment and rea-
son ; and say, " Is prophecy a just theme of
ridicule? Does it consist of some uncertain
conjectures, which may be interpreted in any
way ?" It must be allowed by the candid and
impartial to have considerable weight. It is
one of those arguments which resemble a river :
it acquires greater body and force in propor-
tion to the lenoth of its course : and if we con-
sider the scope of many predictions, and the
actual state of a considerable portion of man*
kind, and the tendency of things in the moral
world, do they not afford very weighty evi-
dence of the inspiration of the prophets, and
of the truth of the gospel ?
187
CHAPTER VII.
t
OF THE EVIDENCE FOR THE DIVINE AUTHORITY OF THE
NEW TESTAMENT, ARISING FROM THE SUCCESS OF
THE GOSPEL.
Ihat the christian religion had great and ex-
tensive success in the world, will be denied by
none. But some may reply 3 " So had the old
pagan systems ; so had the Koran." The re-
mark is so far just, that mere success abstract-
ed from circumstances, means, and causes, is
no proof either of truth or error. There is
scarcely a more dangerous principle, than that
which leads a person to conclude, that because
a plan succeeds, therefore it is right ; because
the object which he had in viewr is attained^
therefore it is good ; and because he has been
able to gratify his wishes to the full, therefore
it is an evidence of the divine approbation and
favour. However common this manner of rea-
soning has been, and is at the present time, it
is utterly destitute of foundation. But though
the general maxim be false, it by no means fol-
lows but that in some cases, success may be
1 considered as a proof of truth and goodness ;
I and an eminent display of the divine interpo-
i sition in its favour. It will appear, it is hoped %
; to be so here. Let the subject be weighed with
188
impartiality; and it will be seen that while suc-
cess pleads nothing in favour of either Pagan-
ism or Mahometan ism, it is a strong presump-
tive evidence that Christianity is of God. Con-
sider the following things.
SECTION I.
The Nature of the Christian Religion as contained in
the New Testament.
x ou will recollect what has been already writ-
ten on this subject. Christianity is at war with
every evil passion in the human heart : it con-
demns pride, ambition, and all those dispositions
and pursuits which exalt men in their own
esteem, and in the esteem of the world. It
plainly tells religionists, that all their costly
services, their multiplied acts of worship, and
their rigorous austerities, will not purchase the
pardon of their sins, nor the favour of God,
nor a title to eternal felicity : and it calls upon
them as guilty, condemned, depraved, and mi-
serable creatures to look for salvation from one
who suffered on the cross ; to place all their de-
pendence on him alone, " for wrisdom, righ-
teousness, sanctification, and redemption ;"
1 Cor. i. 30, and to live devoted to him. It
enjoins a temper and conduct diametrically op-
189
posite to the- wishes of every depraved heart.
It strikes at the root of the prevailing senti-
ments and dispositions of mankind, by pro-
claiming aloud,-" Selfishness shall not reign :
drag down the Jezebel from the throne, and
trample her under foot." The welfare of our
neighbour, the gospel enjoins us to consider as
our own, and to love him as ourselves ; and the
public and general good to consider as para-
mount to private and individual benefit.
Above all, it teaches us that the authority of
God is to rule supreme and without a rival in
the soul ; and that we are to live in a state of
constant and entire subjection to him ; or to
adopt its language, " to glorify him in our body
and in our spirit, which are his." 1 Cor. vi. 20.
What is there in this religion either to sooth the
lofty ideas of the great ones of the earth, or
to gratify the appetites and passions of the mul-
titude ?
SECTION II.
The Persons by ivhom the Christian Religion was
propagated.
The founder of Christianity was so poor, that
he had not where to lay his head : and those
whom he chose for witnesses of his character,
190
and missionaries to the world, had no external
glory to4*ecommendthem. None of them were
men of literature, in the Greek or Roman sense
of the word : and Paul only in the Jewish sense.
The rest were plain men. They had no fa-
mily connections, no estates, no titles, not
even that of Rabbi among their countrymen.
They did not, I conceive, appear in what is
called the rank of gentlemen ; nor had they ac-
quired the modes of behaviour in polite life.
They were plain, honest men, of unfeigned
piety, and much unadorned good sense ; who
delivered their testimony with great simplicity
and zeal, and with an ardent affection to their
master, and the souls of men. In appearance,
dress, and manners, they were considered as
verging towards what is called the lower class
of society : and in both their idiom and accent
they had among their countrymen at Jerusalem,
the patois (the brogue) of Galilee, and among
the Greeks and Romans, the patois of the Jews.
"What will this babbler say ?" was the con-
temptuous sneer of the Athenian philosophers :
and Paul's own declaration, " though I be rude
in speech, yet not in knowledge," unites to
confirm the justness of the remark. By the
followers of Christ in succeeding ages, the cha-
racter of the apostles has been justly held in
so high a degree of reverence, that Ave are
ready to attach to them a venerableness of ap-
pearance in the eyes of the world, which com-
191
manded general esteem. But on due considera-
tion, the accopnt which has just been given
will be found to be accurate. Judge then what
regard would be paid to such men, wrhen they
wrent from place to place, to propagate a new-
religion, and to assert that every body was in
the wrong except themselves. When they
every where proclaimed aloud, that unless
each individual turned from his sinful thoughts
and ways ; the pagan from all his idolatry to
the gospel ; and the Jew from relying on his
observances, and quitted Moses for Christ, he
could not escape the judgments of God, — vou
can easily anticipate with what hearts the world
would listen to their preaching.
SECTION III.
The Means which were employed for propagating the
&ospel.
Paganism does not afford an instance of any
person before the coming of Christ, employing
what may be called a rational method for con-
verting the inhabitants of any country, or even
of a single city, to the belief of the heathen
mythology. The system formed in the infancy
of society was received as divine, and those
who afterwards entered into the community,
192
must submit to it as the condition of enjoying
the benefit of their protection. Mahomet, a
man of note among his countrymen, of a family
accounted ancient and honourable, in manners
a courtier, and attentive to all the punctilios of
polite behaviour, sought earnestly to ingratiate
himself with those who could promote his views.
But finding softness and persuasion to be tedi-
ous ways of gaining converts, he took a shorter
and more successful method ; and the ultima
ratio regunij the sword was allowed, and abun-
dantly employed. The booted Hierophant
who comes at the head of an army and com-
mands belief, demonstrates that he confides
in something besides arguments for success:
and success here is no evidence of truth.
When I see his sword reeking with blood warm
from the hearts of his opposers, I wonder not
that he has many proselytes ; but instead of be-
lieving, my soul is filled with disgust and ab-
horrence.
Turn away from the odious spectacle, and
view the disciples of Jesus in their humble
garb, addressing the multitude in a synagogue,
or a handful in a school, or in a private house !
They have no wealth, and they cannot bribe ;
they have no influence, and they can promise
neither riches nor honours. They preach Jesus
Christ, and him crucified. They narrate the
history of his life, and death, and resurrection,
and ascension ; and they declare that it is he
193
who is appointed to be the Saviour of the
world, and the Judge of the living and the dead.
Both the Greeks and the Romans were fond of
eloquence, (a very florid and gaudy one was
the taste of the age) and of fine speaking,
even to the very minutest parts of action. But
the only one of the apostles who can be sup-
posed capable of attempting such a thing, de-
clares, " I came not with enticing words of
men's wisdom." The rest could not, if they
would : and that they did not aim at it, their
writings plainly shew : for if ever there was a
book which gave evidence that the writers did
not seek for eloquence of composition, it is the
New Testament, We may justly consider it
as a specimen of their preaching : and it proves
that they did not seek to impose on men in any
way. " Our exhortation, say they, was not
of deceit, nor of uncleanness, nor of guile."
They made use of no political craft. They
were neither sycophants of the rich and great,
nor flatterers of the poor: they neither cringed
to rulers, nor courted the people; and they
made no shew of learning, to impose on the
ignorant and vulgar. They gave no promises
of any worldly advantage by the change of re-
ligion : on the contrary, they told their hear-
ers, " all who will live godly in Christ Jesus
.shall suffer persecution." Such were the means
used. Were they calculated to deceive the
world, and gain converts to an imposture ?
K
194
SECTION IV.
The Opposition made to the Gospel.
If opposition was made to the introduction of a
pagan system, the sword decided the dispute.
Mahomet pretended a commission to silence
opposers in the same way. But how different
is the spirit of the gospel ! " The weapons of
our warfare are not carnal." — " Behold," says
Christtohis apostles, " I send you forth as sheep
in the midst of wolves." The artillery of op-
position to the gospel was planted in every
quarter. There was opposition from the pre-
judices of the people attached to the religion of
their fathers; and whose attachment was bi-
gotted and fierce in proportion to their ig-
norance and blindness. There was opposition
from the philosopher and the learned : Christia-
nity paid no more respect to the speculations of
the literati, than to the superstition of the mul-
titude : no wonder that their pride was wound-
ed, and they were roused to revenge the con-
tempt cast upon them. There was opposition
from the priests, and all who officiated in the
temples, and fattened on the sacrifices. Not
only their wealth and influence, but their very
existence was at stake. How well they could
stir up the people to vengeance against inno-
1 95
valors, the experience of every age produces
abundant testimony. There was still more for-
midable opposition from the rulers of the world.
There was not merely an alliance between
church and state under the reign of paganism,
but perhaps, to speak more properly, an incor-
poration of religion into the. civil constitution:
and in the Roman empire especially, the chief
magistrates bore the most distinguished offices
of religion. The Emperor had the title of
Pontifex Maximus, and those who were next
to him in power sustained the sacerdotal offices
next in dignity. What an alarm may those
men be supposed to feel at the entrance of a
system, which if successful would strip them of
all their dignity and influence in matters of re-
ligion ; and which might likewise, in their ap.
prehensions, endanger the public peace, and
the stability of their^civil authority : and how
tenacious of every grain of power "rulers have
always been, the history of all ages clearly de-
monstrates. Or if they did not themselves sus-
pect danger, the other classes concealing under
the pretext of zeal for the rulers' safety and the
country's peace, the fears they felt for the loss
of their dignities and emoluments, would not be
slow, to call for the interference of the arm of
authority, and put a stop to the designs of such
dangerous men.
- Nor was there less opposition from the Jezcs
than from the Gentiles. Christianity, by placing
K2
196
all nations i3n a level, struck a blow at the root
-of the pride of every Jew. His superior privi-
lege in being one of God's peculiar people was
instantly lost. So keen an abhorrence had they
of this, that when Paul, in the course of a speech,
mentioned that Christ had sent him to preach to
the Gentiles, they cried out, " Away with such
a fellow from the earth, for it is not fit that he
should live." Acts xxiL 22. They had heard
him for a considerable time in silence; but when
he spoke of the Gentiles being admitted to equal
privileges with the Jews, they could bear it no
longer; but eagerly sought to imbrue their
hands in the blood of the profane blasphemer.
Such was the spirit of what would be called the
populace among the Jews. To a smaller portion
of honesty the pharistes united equal opposi-
tion, and superior hatred. If Christianity pre-
vail, they must fall from the pinnacle of venera-
tion to the abyss of contempt. And is there
any thing which will oppose with greater
violence and fervour, than the pride of superior
knowledge, and of the sanctimonious observance
of every rite ? The priests had kindred feelings
with those among the heathens ; the magistrates
too were forward of themselves to oppose from
the causes already assigned; or they were in
a manner forced to it, in order to please the
people.
All these kinds of opposition were in addition
to that grand radical prejudice which reigns ia
197
every depraved heart ; namely, the dislike of a>
religion which commands to sacrifice pride at
the foot of the cross of Jesus ; and which enjoins
perfect purity in heart and life, and the destruc-
tion of every sinful thought, and word, and
deed.
That this is not speculative reasoning, the
treatment of Christ and his apostles, and of in-
ferior teachers, will clearly prove. Reproach,
loss of goods, banishment, imprisonment, and
death, were their reward from the Jews. The
Gentiles betrayed a similar spirit: and the
preachers of Christianity were treated by them
with equal dislike and equal severity. Success.
here will be remarkable indeed.
SECTION V.
The Sacrifices which those must make, who embrace
the Gospel.
It is not easy for those who live, where Chris-
tianity is the prevailing religion of a country,
and where the civil institutions are not contrary
to its dictates, to form a just idea of what every
convert in the age of the apostles was obliged to
endure, and of the sacrifices he was obliged to
make. Paganism had so blended its religious
rites with the business and recreations of life,
that a conscientious christian was reduced to
very considerable difficulties, as well as to very
198
painful privations. To say nothing of the
theatre, the games, the shows, the triumphal
processions, in all of which heathen ceremonies
were mingled, (and to abstain from these would
he reckoned no small sacrifice by multitudes,)
idolatrous superstitions insinuated themselves
into their family arrangements, and were in-
troduced into their hospitable entertainments,
and acts of civility to their friends. This must
have been exceedingly painful to the converts
to the gospel, and must have almost excluded
them from social intercourse, and the enjoy-
ments of relationship and consanguinity.
Besides, they were looked on with aversion
by all. Some regarded them as atheists and
enemies of their gods : and they were branded
as haters, as well as hated, of the human race.
Society lost its charms to them : they saw
nothing but frowns, or what was more bitter,
the smile of ridicule or contempt. They were
often cast off by their friends and relations:
they were looked upon as the offscouring of all
things: they were loaded with the most oppro-
brious names which hatred could invent: and
they had to endure, in silence, the jeers of the
rude multitude, as they passed along.
The effects of these sentiments followed
christians into the scenes of business, and proved
.very serious disadvantages in their worldly af-
fairs. Their most bigotted heathen neighbours
would have no dealings with those that ab-
199
hor red their gods. Sometimes the furious mob,
or a rapacious magistrate, spoiled them of their
goods. As if unworthy to enjoy the common
blessings of society, sometimes they were cast
into prison along with the most abandoned cri-
minals: sometimes they were banished from
their country, and all that was dear to them,
sometimes the most eminent for piety and zeal,
and indeed all who adhered to their profession,
were put to death ; and in their death, every
species of cruelty was employed : and when any
public calamity befelthe Roman empire, " The
christians are the cause," was the pagan cry ;
and they must expiate the offence by the loss
of all things, and by the most excruciating
tortures.
Such were the prospects of every man who
embraced the gospel, when it was first preached :
and every day's experience strongly confirmed
the mournful fact. Those who at any time be-
came converts to paganism met with neither
injury nor reproach. Mahomet's proselytes
were on the road to honour and pleasure, in a
present life. The gospel, it is true, had its re-
wards, but they were such as eye could not see,
nor earthly passion feel : they were after death.
With such sacrifices in view, who could be ex-
pected to embrace the christian faith?
200
SECTION VI.
The Success of ike Gospel and the Number of its
Converts.
When I take a close and attentive view of all
these things, I do not see, that, according to
mere human ideas, Christianity could possibly
have any success among either Jews orGentiles.
Such a system, introduced by such men, in a
way so little alluring, having such formidable
opposition to encounter, and demanding such
sacrifices from every convert, — what progress
can it be supposed to make ? A stranger to the
records of the christian church would say, none.
But what was its fate? Three thousand men
joined the society of believers, on the very day
that the banners of the cross were first raised.
Every succeeding one added new subjects to
Christ's spiritual kingdom. Myriads in Jeru-
salem bowed the knee of adoration to the cru-
cified Jesus. Multitudes believed in Samaria,
at Lydda, at Joppa, at Cesarea. — From Judea
the apostles travel to the Gentiles. There are
societies of christians formed at Antioch, at
Ephesus, at Corinth, at Athens, and at Rome.
Every year produces considerable accessions to
the number of believers. The victorious march
of the gospel is not stopped by the death of the
201
apostles : it spreads wider and wider amidst the
fiercest opposition. Under persecutions at
which human nature shudders, it maintains
its ground : and it grows after them with in-
creasing vigour and strength. At last, after
near three centuries of contest, its enemies are
overcome ; it is invited to sit down on the
throne of the Ctesars ; and its glorious energies
without help from man, are apparent to all.
What shall we say to these things ? That the
testimony of the apostles must have been con-
vincing, and accompanied with miraculous
powers, as well as with the inward energy of the
Holy Ghost? He who denies this, and yet
grants (for deny he cannot) the success of the
gospel, the success of a religion which was in
direct opposition to the sentiments, dispositions,
and conduct of all the world, a success rapid,
continuing, and increasing, believes the most
astonishing miracle that was ever performed.
But the sober and patient enquirer, who can-
didly weighs every part, must acknowledge
that this book has claims to veracity and divi-
nity, which are not easily overthrown ; and
that the success of the gospel, all things consi-
dered, is one of the most remarkable events
which the moral world has ever presented to
view.
Can comparison explain the phenomenon,
and remove our astonishment? Comparison
still heightens our wonder, and gives additional
K3
202
force to the argument. I will not compare Ma-
homet, and the caliphs his successors, with the
apostles preaching the gospel; for it would be
to compare the effects of *brute force, with the
pure operations of judgment and reason*.
The philosophers of Greece and Rome were
placed in situations nearest to those of the apo-
stles. Arguments were their weapons: they
employed no force; but their circumstances
were more advantageous. They were admired,
and venerated, and regarded as the first of
* The beginning of Mahomet's career bore some re-
semblance to the manner of the apostles of Christ. He
sought to make converts by persuasion only. But had he
always adhered to this mode, it is more than probable that
his religion would have never been heard of beyond the
limits of his native city. During the first three years of
his mission, he attached but fourteen proselytes to his cause.
Seven years' labours scarcely united to him more than a
hundred followers. For the space of ten years, his pro-
gress was slow and silent within the walls of Mecca. Such
was Mahomet's success in circumstances the most favour-
able to his efforts: for he was of a noble family; he was
protected and patronized by some of the first men of the
city, who were also related to him by blood ; he possessed
the most insinuating address; and conducted his measures
with consummate skill. There was likewise no established
religion supporting a corporation of men, whose interest it
was to oppose his progress. — When he found that per-
suasion would not accomplish his purpose, in the thirteenth,
year of his mission, he professed to have received divine
authority for employing the sword as an instrument of con-
version: and from that time the number of his convert*
increased in proportion to his valour and his success,
203
mankind. They were numerous; and they
had all the countenance of authority, and all
the influence of public opinion in their favour
that their hearts could wish. Their system
was more palatable than the pure unbending
maxims of Christianity. But what was their
success in propagating their tenets, and re-
forming the world? Who were ever more elo-
quent than these men ? Have greater energies
ever been displayed by the human mind, than
in the ingenuity of their speculations, in the
charms of their composition, and the beauty
of their style ? — They had the western world
for many ages to themselves. One generation
of philosophers had an opportunity of improving
on another, and of extending widely the united
influence of speaking and writing to accom-
plish their purpose. But when the apostles
appeared, what fruit of their labour was to be
found? Where, O Socrates, Plato, Aristotle,
shall we see the reformation which your philo-
sophy has produced ? We have read of a change
in the life of Polemo, and a few individuals be-
sides; but we look for greater things. Paul
did more than this by the very first sermon he
preached at Athens, whileyour brethren mocked
and ridiculed the preacher. Tell us what na-
tion we shall find imbued with philosophic mo-
rality?— Why are you silent? Tell us then,
what city? Alas! we cannot find one single
society of men, who say, " The philosophers
204
taught us to reject the idolatry of our country,
and to adore the one true God." I am ready
to think, I must be wrong. I search again : but
my search is fruitless. I can hardly believe
that the gardens of Academus, the Stoa, and
the Peripatetic walks bring forth so little fruit ; —
but I am compelled.
From viewing the toilsome but barren labours
of the philosophers, I turn to the men of Galilee,
and see societies formed in every place ; and
multitudes casting away their idols with con-
tempt ; and renouncing every idolatrous and
immoral practice, and every impure disposi-
tion; and prostrating themselves with humble
adoration before Jehovah. My astonishment
increases ; and I cannot refrain from crying out,
u Here is the finger of God!" Come hither,
ye votaries of Socrates and his fellows, and
survey the different effects of the sentiments of
your sages, and of the preaching of Christ
crucified by his chosen witnesses. Account for
it if you can.
SECTION VII.
Christianity could have had no Success, if it had not
been true.
Let us suppose this to be the year 1 780 ; and
that twelve men of untainted morals and appa-
rent piety were to appear at Paris, and declare
205
publicly in a solemn manner: " A remarkable
person has been for upwards of three years
preaching through the whole of France, and
very frequently in this capital : he healed the
sick, and raised the dead to life, he fed thousands
with a few loaves and fishes, and he commanded
all men to listen to him as sent of God to be
the Saviour of the world. About two months
ago, the rulers in church and state, with the con-
currence and approbation of the body of the
people, conspired against him and put him to
death. Hearing he would rise again on the
third day, they appointed a guard to the sepul-
chre ; but he rose according to the prediction,
as the guards can testify. We saw him many
times after his resurrection, and were present
when he ascended to heaven. He has com-
missioned us to testify these things to the world ;
and as a proof of this has enabled us to speak
languages which we never learned, and to work
miracles like his own." — Were they further to
tell the people, " Your rulers have committed
a most heinous crime in putting him to death :
the former religion of the country is now to
cease, and with it the influence and authority
of the priesthood : and all are bound to receive
our testimony on pain of the divine displeasure. "
What effect would such declaration have?
As all are accused, all will be desirous to
vindicate themselves from the charge. The
most effectual way will be to demonstrate the
206
falsehood of the testimony. In addition to the
common motive, the civil rulers will justly con-
sider that the accusation has a tendency to
bring their government into reproach ; and be-
sides, that it will weaken their authority among
such as embrace the new system; for they will
be considered as the murderers of a prophet,
nay, of one who called himself the Son of God.
The ecclesiastical dignitaries have additional
reason for exerting themselves, for their very
existence depends on the falsehood of the testi-
mony. Their authority, their rank in society,
their wealth, all is gone, if what these men say
be true. la such circumstances, .will not every
possible means be used to detect the falsehood?
Will not the matter be searched to the bottom ±
and every scheme adopted which human in-
genuity, quickened by having all at stake, can
employ, in order to find out the truth? Is it
possible that in such circumstances, imposture
can escape detection ? They have all the power,
of the country in their hands : and will they not
employ it to discover the cheat ? and discovered
it must and easily can be, as reference has been
made to so many persons, places, times, and
occasions. The twelve men have nothing to
oppose to all this, but the truth of their testi-
mony ; for they are without connections, with-*
out influence, and without authority. Who can
suppose it possible for an imposture in such,,
circumstances to succeed ?
207
Such was precisely the situation of the
Jews, when the apostles of Christ began to
preach the gospel at Jerusalem. Would they
not, think you, use all possible means to dis-
credit the testimony ? They would : they must :
they did : for men understood, and were alive
to their own interest then, as much as they are
nozi\ But what discoveries .did they make?
The success of the gospel, and their silence
with respect to a detection of the imposture,
prove that they made none. Antiquity speaks
of none. The writings of the enemies of Chris-
tianity, both among Jews and pagans, contain
none. Had they made any discovery, it is im-
possible but that it must have come down to us,
in various forms. The answers of the christians
to the pagans who attacked Christianity, as of
Origen to Celsus, would have made mention of
them, and would have contained at least an at-
tempt at confutation. — Will it be said : " when
Christianity became the ruling system, every
thing written against it was destroyed." This
is impossible. Though the christian religion
was established in the Roman empire, several
eastern countries did not receive it as the na-
tional system : there its enemies would have
found an asylum. Besides, the Jews, the most
inveterate foes of the gospel, still remained:
and many of them were without its bounds.
They had their books and records which could
not be destroyed: nor does it appear to have
208
been attempted. The tahnuds which were
composed at a time when Christianity was the
dominant religion of the empire, have come*
down to us. But there is no rational and con-
sistent account of any discovery having been
made by the Jewish rulers, of the falsehood of
the apostles' testimony for Christ.
Indeed the success of the gospel is unaccount-
able, if their testimony was discovered to be
false. Remember, the dispute was not about
matters of opinion, to which men might have
been wedded through prejudice : it was a ques-
tion of facts: not only reason, but the senses
were to judge ; and every man was fully com-
petent to decide. To suppose that after the
falsehood of the testimony was established by
unquestionable proof, thousands of men who
had joined in crucifying Christ, would believe
in him ; especially when their faith would ex-
pose them to reproach, to exclusion from the
synagogue and its privileges, to the hatred of
their friends and countrymen, to loss of goods,
to imprisonment and death, is contrary to the
moral order of the universe ; and contrary to
all those principles by which men, whether
they be good men, or bad men, are influenced
in their conduct. Ought we to have recourse
to this, if any other motive can be adduced?
There is an easy one 5 namely, that the testi-
mony of the apostles was true.
209
CHAPTER VIII.
OBJECTIONS AGAINST THE DIVINE AUTHORITY OF
THE NEW TESTAMENT CONSIDERED.
When a religion professes itself to be neces-
sary to eternal happiness, and demands our
consideration, the serious enquirer will desire
to have a view of the evidence by which it is
supported. If the arguments be satisfactory,
he will regard it as entitled to his reception.
But this is not the mode usually adopted by
those who reject the gospel. They in general
begin by raising difficulties, and starting ob-
jections: and because these can not be easily
solved, they think themselves justified in re-
jecting the whole.
But this will not, on mature deliberation, be
found so rational a conduct as they imagine.
Even though it were impossible to answer ob-
jections which may be brought forward, the
subject may nevertheless have such a weight
of evidence in its support, as to ensure a gene-
ral reception, and a firm belief of its truth. A
dangerous mistake has found an entrance into
the minds of many : they lay it down as an
axiom, that if objections which its advocates
210
cannot solve, can be urged against a doctrine,
they are warranted to brand the whole system
with falsehood. The establishment of such a
rule of judging would destroy the credibility of
almost every science. In direct opposition to
its authority, they will find that a system or a
doctrine may have such force of argument in
its favour, that no man of discernment and
candour can withhold his assent; when at the
same time objections may be urged, which it is
not in the power of any one fully to solve.
Whoever takes pains to survey the circle of
the sciences, will perceive that there is not one
to which difficulties are not attached, and
against which objections may not be raised.
With regard to the New Testament, this may
be expected to be the case, in a still greater
degree. The subjects on which it treats are
of the most exalted kind; and they are con-
nected with things above our comprehension,
Or revealed but in part, or entirely veiled.
From these and other sources which might be
mentioned, how many objections may be raised.
But those who profess the principles of natural
religion, are involved in similar difficulties;
and must throw*?/ away as well as the gospel,
if a full and satisfactory answer to every objec-
tion be essential to their belief: so that the
deist is in this respect more nearly on a level
with the christian, than he was aware.
These remarks are not designed to serve as an
211
apology for declining to answer the objections
of deists to the christian religion, but to impress
their minds with this important truth, that for
a system to be false, and for a system to have
difficulties in some of its parts which we cannot
resolve, are two different things. So fully are
men convinced of this, that there are doctrines
which, if a person did not believe, he would be
accounted mad, while there are difficulties re*
specting them, which the wisest of the human
race cannot resolve. Under the influence of
this sentiment let the evidencesof Christianity be
weighed: then let the objections be brought
forth in order ; and it will be seen, that they
are not so formidable as to shake the foundations
of the religion of Jesus. Some of them evidently
spring from mistake and error; some from the
form of the book which was composed by men
of other times, and manners, and customs; and
some from the nature of the subject. Were it
impossible to answer them, there still remains
sufficient evidence for the truth of Christianity :
but it is hoped, that such things may be sug.
gested to abate their force, as will lead im-
partial men to conclude, that if the gospel have
sufficient evidence to confirm it, the objections
have not such a degree of weight as should in-
fluence any to reject its divine authority,
*-M
212
SECTION I.
Objection. If we must examine one religion in order
to discover its divine origin, it is reasonable that tc0
should examine all, and weigh their evidence : and
this is so tedious as well as arduous a task, that our
lives will be at an end, before it can be accomplished*
This is not so difficult a work as may be at
first imagined. The thing wanted is an uni-
versal religion, given and designed for the
benefit of all mankind. Paganism never, in
any one form, laid claim to be the universal re-
ligion. The Jewish dispensation was designed
peculiarly for one nation, and only for a season,
till the Messiah should appear. Mahometanisni
alone remains in competition with the gospel.
Compare the two, and examine their respective
evidences. As for external proofs, the religion
of Mahomet has none. No predictions an-
nounced his coming : nor did he work one
miracle to prove that he was a teacher sent
from God. So far was he from being able to
foretel future events, that in hundreds of in-
stances he shews himself ignorant of the past. —
Instead of imitating Jesus, who gave his own
life for the sheep, he sheds the blood of others
in abundance, for the establishment of his own
215
dominion. The Jewish religion contained many
discoveries concerning God; the christian re-
ligion still more, and made ample additions to
the list. Mahomet, while he acknowledges
both to be from heaven, professes to bring us
a new revelation ; but it has nothing in it that
is new : it contains not one valuable truth con-
cerning the divine government, or in short on
any religious subject, which was not known be-
fore. Will such a system stand the test ? What
is its use ? Let it be placed by the side of the
gospel ; and let reason judge. The comparison
has been drawn by a masterly hand : what the
result is, observe and decide. It runs thus:
ic Wjtb respect to this instance I persuade
myself it can be no very distracting study to
find reasons to determine our choice. Go to
your natural religion: lay before her Mahomet
and his disciples arrayed in armour and in blood,
riding in triumph over the spoils of thousands
and tens of thousands who fell by his victorious
sword : shew her the cities which he set in
flames, the countries which he ravaged and
destroyed, and the miserable distress of all the
inhabitants of the earth. When she has viewed
him in this scene, carry her into his retirements ,
-sliew her the prophet's chamber, his concu-
bines and wives ; let her see his adultery, and
hear him alledge revelation and his divine
commission to justify his lust and hi? oppres-
sion. Whe$ she is tired with this prospect,
3t
214
then shew her the blessed Jesus, humble and
meek, doing good to all the sons of men, pa-
tiently instructing both the ignorant and the
perverse. Let her see him in his most retired
privacies: let her follow him to the mount, and
hear his devotions and supplications to God.
Carry her to his table to view his poor fare, and
hear his heavenly discourse. Let her see him
injured, Uut not provoked : let her attend him
to the tribunal, and consider the patience with
which he endured the scoffs and reproaches
of his enemies. Lead her to his cross; and
let her view him in the agony of death, and
hear his last prayer for his persecutors:
* Father, forgive them, for they know not what
they do.'
*l When natural religion has viewed both,
ask which is the prophet of God ? But her
answer we have already heard ; when she saw
part of this scene through the eyes of the Cen-
turion who attended at the cross ; by him she
spake and said, l Truly this man was the Son
of God'. " Sherlock's Disc. Vol. i. Serm. 0.
215
SECTION II.
Obj. Christianity generates a timid passive spirit,
and is not calculated for forming great characters,
or producing men who will prove extensive bene-
factors to mankind.
-Force is none of the "engines of the gospel:
and to bring about a measure however com-
mendable, by doing injury to others, it ex-
pressly forbids. But while it discourages and
: condemns all kinds of violence in the disciples
; of Jesus, it inculcates and actually produces
the most energetic dispositions and conduct.
Active benevolence, springing from love to God
j and man, is the very spirit of the gospel. To
j promote mee's present, and especially their
j eternal happiness, is one of the christian's great
j employments ; and he is to spare neither la-
j bour nor suffering in order to accomplish his
| end. Christ and his apostles understood the
maxims of the gospel, and they acted upon
them : they laboured, and they travelled, they
were hungry and thirsty, and they suffered the
greatest evils in order to do men good. With
how bad a grace then is the objection of a
passive spirit adduced ?
The accusation of timidity is equally ground-
less. Christianity forms men of a singular cast,
>ome would say of singular courage. It teaches
216
them to be afraid of offending God and doing
injury to man ; but it labours to render them
superior to every other fear. They must carry
on a constant war against evil : but " the wea-
pons of their warfare are not carnal." Was it
a timid character which Christ designed to
form, when he sent his disciples through all the
world to propagate his religion? They were
to penetrate into every country : they were to
address men of every nation, and tongue, and
language : they were to expose themselves, to
hunger and nakedness, to ridicule and insult,
to persecution and death. None of these
things must deter them : they must ever be
speaking the word of life, however it may be
received, and to whatever dangers it may ex-
pose them. They must hazard all for the propa-
gation of truth and righteousness in the world.
The lives of christians have, in numberless in-
stances, displayed the efficacy of these divine
principles. Can such instances of active exer-
tion, of persevering labour, of patient suffering,
be adduced, as those which have been displayed
by the true disciples of Jesus Christ? That
they make not the noise of those who sack
cities, and desolate countries, and spread far
and wide the work of destruction, is certainly
not to their dispraise. Their method of re-
forming the world and meliorating the condi-
tion of man is not by brute force, but by im-
planting in the heart the sentiments of know-
217
ledge and of .goodness • the fruit will be cer-
tain felicity, Christianity does all her work,
and effects all her purposes, by means of prin-
ciples : she employs, and she permits no other
way beside. -
Candid objector, do you not retract your ac-
cusation: and say, " I was. mistaken ?"
SECTION III.
Ob j. Christianity is the Friend of Despotism, and the
Enemy of Liberty.
The grand design of the New Testament is to
teach religion. What relates to civil institu-
tions it notices only so far as moral obligation
is concerned. Forms of government it leaves
to the wisdom of men to regulate, and to na-
tions to frame. But what the spirit of govern-
ments should be, it plainly dictates: and it
authoritatively lays down the principles by
which both governors and governed should re-
gulate their conduct *.
* There are two questions respecting civil government,
which though perfectly distinct, are frequently con-
founded. The one is, <c What does the New Testament
say, should be the character and conduct of rulers and
subjects ?" or in other words, " What duties do rulers owe
L
218
The foundation of civil government, the reli-
gion of Jesus, lays in justice. It represents
the human race as one great family, and all
men as brethren. Suppose ten millions of these
men, members of one community, and subjects
of one government : they have all and each an
equal right to justice ; and this right cannot be
taken away, so long as God their common
Father reigns in heaven, and so long as all men
are brethren. The New Testament gives all a
right, that the institutions of society should be
equitable ; and that no one should suffer a grain
of oppression, in order to confer advantages on
another beyond his due. Should maxims of
injustice have been acted on for a thousand
years, Christianity commands the government
to abandon them, and justice to resume her
to subjects, and subjects to rulers ?" The other question is,
" Mow far, according to the New Testament, and how
long, subjects arc bound to obedience, supposing the rulers
do not perform their duty, but act in direct opposition to
it ?" — The first question only is here considered, and is all
that was necessary to remove the objection. The second
lies entirely without the range of this essay, and it never en-
tered the author's thoughts to discuss it. It involves a
piece of casuistry of difficult discussion, according to the
common sentiments of men, but not on the system of the
author, who thinks that Christ taught his disciples not to
reform their country by violence and force, not to break the
peace of society, and to make use of no other weapons
than truth and love.
219
seat, and to execute righteous judgment with-
out delay.
But let us hear the New Testament speak for
itself; and it speaks with plainness and fidelity,
and yet with a delicacy suited to the age in
which it was written, and to the jealousy of the
governments which then existed. See Romans
xiii. 1. Civil government, it says, is an or-
dinance of divine institution : this means, it is
the will of God that men should not live as the
beasts of the field without controul ; but that
they should be formed into societies regulated
by laws ; and that these laws should be exe-
cuted by magistrates appointed for the purpose*
What kind of government, and what kind of
rules are designed, the writer particularly
specifies; " They are not a terror to good
works but to evil. Do that which is good, and
thou shalt have praise of the same : for he is
the minister of God to thee for good. But if
thou do that which is evil, be afraid ; for he
beareth not the sword in vain : for he is the
minister of God, an avenger to execute wrath
upon him that doeth evil." — " They are God's
ministers attending continually to this very
thing ;*' i. e. their talents and their time are
all employed in this great and good work.
These are the principles of government which
the New Testament lays down, and these the
duties which it prescribes to the rulers of the
nations.
220
"But Christianity does not confine its injunc-
tions to one part of the community, and leave
the rest to act as they please. By no means.
It addresses itself likewise with equal energy to
the people, and it binds on their consciences
the obligations of subjection and obedience.
And is not this too highly reasonable, and ex-
actly corresponding with the nature and state
of things? If the members of a community re-
fuse to honour and obey the divine ordinance,
and to be subject to government, and to give
high respect to rulers, and to pay them tribute ;
and all this not from fear of punishment, but
for conscience sake ; it will be allowed by every
rational man, that they resist an ordinance of
God, an ordinance which is both reasonable
and beneficial, and deservedly receive to
themselves condemnation. Read likewise
1 Peter ii.
Such is the doctrine of the New Testament
respecting civil government ; such are its grand
moral principles, and such its specific declara-
tions on the subject. In every domestic rela-
tion, it lays down fairly and equitably the duties
on both sides ; namely of husbands and wives,
of parents and children, of masters and servants ;
and presses on all their obligations with equal
force. Did it tell one party, " You may neglect
your duty to the other, but claim what is due
from them to you j" objectors would have had
too much reason to say, M This book cannot"
come from God." But it leaves no room for
such a charge; for both on superiors and in-
feriors it enforces without partiality, the mutual
obligations of duty. The same method is ob-
served here. Religion walks without fear into
the palace of the king ; she approaches him
with dignity as he sits upon his throne ; and she
proclaims with the tone of authority, " He that
ruleth over man must be just, ruling in the fear
of God!" 2 Sam. xxiii. 3. She goes from
thence into the hall of Judgment, and with the
mien of a superior, addresses herself to the
judges as they sit on the tribunal: " Ye shall
not respect persons in judgment." Deut. i. 1 7.
M Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to
the afflicted and needy: deliver the poor and
needy : rid them out of the hand of the wicked."
Psalm lxxxii. 3, 4. From the courts of justice
she goes out to the multitude of the people, and
she proclaims through the streets of the city :
< c Let every soul be subject to the higher powers."
Rom. xiii. I. " Submit yourselves to every
ordinance of man for the Lord's sake : wrhether
it be to the king as supreme, or unto governors,
as unto them that are sent by him for the
punishment of evil doers, and the praise of them
that do well. For so is the will of God, that
with well-doing you may put to silence the
ignorance of foolish men." 1 Pet- ii. 13, 14, 15.
222
When you have accompanied her in her pro-
gress, and heard her address to every class
of men ; instead of finding a just cause of ob-
jection, is there not rather reason from the
impartiality and rectitude of the principles dis-
played, to conclude that here is an additional
argument to prove the christian religion to be
from God.
SECTION IV.
Obj. Christianity establishes a System of Priestcraft,
and exalts the Clergy to exorbitant Wealth, and a
spiritual Despotism over the Consciences of Men.
The mass of mankind is busily engaged in
worldly pursuits, and has but little leisure for
mental improvement. That there should be
teachers of religion to instruct them in its
principles, to inforce its numerous precepts,
and to administer its consolations, has nothing
in it contrary to fitness and the public good.
If the knowledge of arts and sciences be bene-
ficial to a country, and the teachers of them be
regarded as in the number of the most useful
members of the community, those whose office
and employment it is, to instil into the minds of
the people the principles of pure religion and
morality, (principles which are the best cement
223
of civil society,) certainly stand on equal or
superior ground in respect to general utility.
When it is further considered , what are the qua-
lifications which the New Testament requires*
its teachers to possess, the argument will ac-
quire additional weight. " A bishop, i. e. the
teacher of religion in a society of christians,
must be blameless, sober, of good behaviour,
not self-willed, not soon angry, not given to
wine, not given to filthy lucre; but a lover of
hospitality, a lover of good men, just, holy,
temperate ; he must not strive l>ut be gentle
unto all men ; apt to teach, patient in meek-
ness, instructing those that oppose themselves.'7
1 Tim. iii. Tit. i. 2 Tim. ii. Against this office
what can be said with reason ?
" But have not the most extravagant claims
both to wealth and power been set up by men
calling themselves ministers of the gospel of
Christ r" I do not deny the fact : but I say, let
not Christianity bear the blame, because none is
due. The question is, on what footing does
the New Testament establish the support of the
ministers of religion ? and it will be found that
it establishes it in such a way,, as everjr rea-
sonable man must approve. It is thought
• equitable that men who apply their younger
years to the acquisition of languages and of phi-
losophy, and who spend their days and strength
in teaching them to others, should receive from
those whom they teach, such a recompense for
224
their labour as to enable them to support
themselves and their families, in a decent and
respectable manner. Who will complain of
this as improper and unjust? — The gospel
sets the maintenance of its ministers on the
same footing. " The workman is worthy of
his hire. They that serve at the altar should
live by the altar. When they dispense to
others of their spiritual things, they should in
return receive of their worldly things. " This
is all that Christianity demands ; and she is
answerable for no other claim. Is it not reason-
able that men of talents, education, and bene-
volence, who devote their lives to the spiritual
instruction of their fellow creatures, with a view
to make them good and happy both in this life
and that which is to come, should receive such
a remuneration as to enable them to live, not
in affluence and splendour, far less in luxury
and extravagance, but in the respectability of
a decent competence. The application of the
same education and abilities to another employ-
ment would have secured wealth. Do they
make exorbitant claims, when they ask from
those whom they are labouring to instruct, a
decent support ?
Nor does the New Testament countenance in
the ministers of religion a claim of power, more
than of wealth. Humility is pointed out by
Jesus as the road to exaltation : and the way
to be the greatest of all, is to be the servant of
225
all. Arguments, entreaties, prayers, all de-
rived from the scriptures, are the only arms
which the New Testament warrants them to
use. If the wicked will not turn from the evil
of their ways, there remains nothing but to
leave them to the judgment of a righteous
God. With respect to such as have joined the
society of believers, and afterwards conduct
themselves amiss, Christ himself prescribes the
following mode of proceeding: " If thy brother
shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his
fault between thee and him alone. If he shall
hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother : but
if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one
or two more, that in the mouth, of two or three
witnesses every word may be established. And
if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the
church : but if he neglect to hear the church,
let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a
publican." Matt, xviii. 15, 16, 17. No civil
privilege is taken away, no injury sustained as
to worldly affairs: all that Christ enjoins is a
separation from the communion of his disciples.
In a society of artists or philosophers, if a per-
son will not conform to their rules, they exclude
him: and where is the hardship or injustice?
for these rules are the bonds of the society.
This is all that Christianity does : and who will
say that it is wrong for a society of pious and
moral men, who are united by the principles of
piety and morality, to exclude such as are im-
L2
226
pious and immoral ? The wisdom as well as
the equity of the gospel in this respect must
be justified, not only by its children, but by
strangers.
The extravagant claims of some to the power
or forgiving sins, and opening to men the gates
of heaven, have laid a foundation for the
establishment of the worst, because a spiritual,,
despotism. But Christianity is entirely free from
the charge. The sacred scripture contains the
whole of the christian religion: that, and that
aloney the ministers of the gospel are to teach :
and that, and that alone, the people are to re-
ceive. The book is to be in the hands of all,,
that all may understand it and be wise. What-
ever a minister asserts to be achristian doctrine,,
he is to prove from the New Testament: and
his assertion that it is contained there, is not to
be received by the people as proof; but they
are to examine carefully the writings of the
evangelists and apostles for themselves. If it
be found in the New Testament they are to re-
ceive it,, not on the word of the minister, but
on the authority of the apostles of Christ: if it
be not the doctrine of scripture, they are com-
manded not to receive it,, whoever may enjoin
the contrary.. The dispensation of the two
simple ordinances of Baptism and the Lord's
supper has no mystery attached to it. No
virtue is derived from the power of the minister :
all the benefit arises from, the blessing of Christy
227
which is not at the disposal of any of his ser-
vants.— Where, my friend, is the priestcraft of
which you complain? Point it out in any one
instance. But you cannot. Let the objection
then be erased from your mind, and acknow-
ledge that in this respect the gospel is perfectly
reasonable, and infinitely distant from priestly
domination and influence.
SECTION V.
<Dbj. The Blood which Christianity Has shed', the
Massacres which it has planned and executed, and
the Miseries which it has brought upon the Earthy
must seal its Condemnation.
That men calling themselves christians, have
persecuted others with unrelenting cruelty,
and have shed rivers of innocent blood, is but
too true. Did Christianity countenance this
conduct, it would merit unqualified reproba-
tion. But far from such a disposition, it for-
bids all violence and injury to be employed in
its defence. Christianity never shed a drop of
its enemies' blood, since the day that Christ
died on the cross ; but it has been lavish of its
own. It never forged a chain to bind a heretic
or an adversary ; nor erected a prison to im-
mure him. Christianity never dipped her pen
228
in tears or bloody to write a penal law denounc-
ing vengeance on infidels. She never made
her bitterest foe heave a groan, from any bodily-
suffering inflicted by her hands. Her only
weapons of offence and defence are truth and
prayer. She returns good for evil, and blessing
for cursing.
If men wearing the garb of the disciples of
Jesus, instigated by pride and the lust of do-
minion, and a desire to gratify the worst pas-
sions of the human heart, injure any of the
human race under a pretence of zeal for re-
ligion, they act in direct opposition to the
gospel; and you cannot condemn them with
too much severity. But surely Christianity
should not be condemned for what it forbids
men to perpetrate, under pain of the divine
displeasure. Or if such as were truly chris-
tians, ever sought to put a. stop to infidelitj' or
error, and to propagate the gospel in the world
by force, (and it is to be deplored with tears of
blood, that such there have unhappily been,)
they will receive no more thanks from Christ,
than the three disciples when they wished him
to bring down fire from heaven to destroy the
Samaritans: " Ye know not what manner of
spirit ye are of: The Son of Man came not
to destroy men's lives, but to save them." Nor
would he account the words, which he directed
to Peter on a different occasion, too severe to
be used to them here : *f Get thee behind me.
229
Satan : thou art an offence unto me ; for thou
savourest not the things which be of God, but
the things which be of man." Both the prin-
ciples and precepts of the gospel, and the con-
duct of Christ and his apostles, are as remote
from persecution, as the east is from the west.
SECTION VI.
Obj. Christ's Appearance on Earth was distinguished
by a Meanness which seems beneath the Dignity of
the Son of God.
T. his objection arises from a worldly spirit, and
from an ignorance of real greatness. Had
Christ appeared with the design for which the
Jews expected him, and which Mahomet pro-
fessed to have, the power, dignity, and splendour
of an earthly monarch would have been highly
suitable: but his intention was of a different
kind; and his kingdom was not of this world.
He came to bear witness to the truth, to ex-
hibit a pattern of every virtue, and to expiate
the sins of men by his own blood : and his ex-
ternal humiliation was well adapted to answer
, all these purposes. When a teacher addresses
us, it is desirable that the hearers be not over-
awed by external majesty ; but that the mind
be calm, in order that it may deliberately exa-
mine his pretensions, and his doctrine. When
230
a person is designed for a pattern to mankind,
is it not fit that he should appear in a situation,
which foils to the lot of the great mass of the
children of men? The manner of Christ's ap-
pearance accorded also with the nature of his
religion. He came to call men away from the
love of the world, from ambition, avarice, and
sensual pleasure ; and to teach them that true
greatness consists in goodness, apart from any
external grandeur. He came to exhibit, by way
of example, the virtues suitable to a present state,
especially the most difficult ones, meekness,,
patience under sufferings, bearing and forgive-
ness of injuries, and love in return for hatred..
He came to testify his father's displeasure a-
gainst the sins of men, and. to suffer for them,
" the just for the unjust, that he might bring
us to God." What station in life, what kind of
appearance on earth was most fit for, nay would
at all suit these purposes, but a state of external
humiliation ; or that which the proud world,,
borrowing its language from its vicious disposi-
tions, calls meanness?
Some may say, " I would have him some-
times displaying his dignity and glory." But
did not Christ feed many thousands of hungry
persons with the small provisions made for his
own family? Did he not heal the sick, and
give sight to the blind ? Did he not raise the
dead to life? Was not this glory infinitely
superior to what earthly monarchs could ex-
231
hibit, and of a kind which peculiarly suited the
nature, and promoted the purposes of his bene-
volent mission to the children of men?
SECTION VII.
Ob j. Christianity is known only to a small Portion
of Mankind : if it iv ere from God, vjould it not be
universal i?i its Extent ?.
Do you believe any one religion to be divine?
If you do-, the objection is answered. The deist
cannot urge it with any propriety; for his reli-
gion is very far from being universal : we shall,
find in the world fifty persons professing Christi-
anity for one who professes deism. Besides, we-
clearly see that many benefits which God has
bestowed on men, are partial, as to the enjoy-
ment. Some are given to particular nations,,
but denied to the rest of the world : others are
possessed by some individuals only, of a fa-
voured nation. A moderate knowledge of
history wTill be sufficient to convince us, that in
the moral government of the world, the bounties
,of providence, as well as mental endowments,
and the means of improvement, are distributed
%vith what appears to us an- unequal hand.
When the objections to this inequality of dis-
tribution are considered and refuted, the cb^
232
jection arising from the partial knowledge of
Christianity is answered at the same time.
The subject may be viewed in another light.
Some blessings flow immediately from God to
every person who enjoys them : others are con-
veyed by the instrumentality of man; and de-
pend on the philanthropy of man, for their con-
tinuance and extension. The last is the case
as to the knowledge of Christianity. When it
was first revealed, it was committed into the
hands of the disciples of Jesus ; and its propa-
gation in the world ever since has depended on
their exertions in publishing it among the na-
tions. That a melancholy negligence has been
too often betrayed, must be acknowledged and
deplored. But at the same time it will be
found, that in numberless instances the most
violent opposition has been made to the zealous
endeavours of christians ; and that it is owing to
the sanguinary persecutions of the rulers of the
world, that the gospel does not now enlighten
the whole habitable globe. If a conqueror,
followed by his powerful army, desolate a
country, and burn the cities and villages, and
destroy the cattle and the fields of corn, and the
people perish for cold and hunger, is their
misery to be ascribed to a lack of goodness in
God, or to the superabounding wickedness of
man? The answer will equally apply to the
subject before us.
The objection will appear still less cogent, if
233
it be considered that Christianity is not the re-
ligion of a day; nor of an age ; but a scheme of
mercy extending itself through thousands of
years, which gradually attains its triumphs, and
which, overcoming* all opposition, will at last
be diffused over the face of the whole earth.
The tendency to this must be obvious to every
friend of the gospel, who is an attentive observer
of the moral state of mankind. When the gospel
has produced its full effect, the objection will
entirely cease ; for according to the language
of prophecy, " Men shall be blessed in Jesus;
and all nations shall call him blessed." Ps.lxxii.
SECTION VIII.
Ob j. Hie Effects produced in the World by the Christian
Religion have beenfeiv and small, and of little Be-
nefit to the Human Race,
Although this be often urged with confi-
dence, it is without due consideration ; for the
effects of the gospel have been numerous, im-
portant, and highly beneficial. The grand in-
fluence of the gospel is in the hearts of indivi-
duals. It formed them anew ; it teaches them
to serve God and love one another, and it trains
them up for a state of eternal felicity. The
disposition and character thus changed display
234
their energy in the bosom of domestic life.
The duties of husbands and wives, of parents
and children, of masters and servants, are per-
formed in a new manner; and a measure of
comfort enjoyed, that was before unknown.
Every relative obligation is felt, and suitable
returns made. Millions have openly professed
this religion at the hazard of their lives. How
many more may we suppose there are, who
from timidity, the interference of friends, and
considerations of* a worldly nature, have been
afraid to avow their conviction, which how-
ever has bad a considerable influence on their
conduct. These everij-day effects of the gospel
on multitudes among the mass of mankind have
been over-looked by the great ones of the earth,
and considered as nothing. This is still the
case, and many intelligent persons do not re*
fleet that what takes place in families, consti-
tutes by far the largest portion of virtue or vice,
of happiness or misery, which a nation, or
which the world, feels.
But there are effects of a more conspicuous
kind, which must be acknowledged by all. At
the coming of Christ, the world was filled with
idols. So fondly were men attached to them,,
that all the philosophers with all their efforts
could not banish them from a single village
The Jews succeeded with many individuals
among the heathen, but with not one commu-
$Mtj\ The gospel has banished idolatry from
235
Europe*, and from a considerable part of
Africa, and Asia, and America. This has
been accomplished by the propagation of its
principles; and it has had an extensive addi-
! tional effect mediately by the conquest of the
I Koran, which derived from the scriptures the
i doctrine of one true God. How many coun-
tries are there in different quarters of the globe,
whence heathen idolatry is banished, and God
the Creator worshipped ! The effect is to be
traced to the gospel of Jesus as its cause : that
alone has produced the wonderful revolution.
There are other effects of a very important
nature introduced by Christianity, which are
not considered by its opposers, nor traced to
their real source. The gospel has made an
astonishing change in the state of society ; and
has introduced a greater measure of goodness
and , happiness than was ever known before.
Many virtues which were formerly considered
as heroic, are become common. It has insi-
nuated a considerable portion of its general
principles into the laws of nations, and rendered
them more equitable : and it has had an astonish-
ing influence on public opinion, and manners.
* Some persons in France, amidst other fooleries, when
they set up a damsel as an emblem of the goddess of
reason, had not the face to make a statue to Jupiter or
Juno. The light of Christianity, which they despised, shone
so bright by its general principles on their minds, that
however much they might wish it, they durst not erect aa
altar to a heathen deity.
236
It has softened the horrors of war ; and render*
ed the treatment of prisoners more humane. It
has pleaded the cause of the indigent, the
widow, and the aged; and it has alleviated the
miseries of their lot. Let a comparison be
made between the nations of Christendom, and
the heathen countries both in ancient and
modern times, in all these respects ; and the
excellency of the gospel will be seen in its im-
portant and beneficial effects.
If these things be duly considered, it may be
asserted without fear of contradiction, that
Christianity produced the greatest revolution
which the world ever saw, or has yet seen ; a
revolution of soul. It is a revolution in senti-
ments, in disposition, in conduct; and effected
by principles pure, powerful, extensive, conti-
nuing to this day, and still exerting their in-
fluence with unabated energy. And to whom
are we indebted for this revolution? A poor
man in Judea, without a penny in his purse,
without arms, without the concurrence of the
learned or the great, and in opposition to
power, to wealth, to influence, to force, over-
threw the ancient religions, and changed the
face of the world !
237
SECTION IX.
Ohj. TJie Attachment of Multitudes to Christianity
arises merely from the Prejudices of Education,
Prejudices of every kind are bad; and the
gospel forbids them all. Fond propensities with-
out reason, for a thing, and violent antipathies
..against it., are equally condemned by its impar-
tial voice. If a person have no other cause for
being a Christian but the prejudices of educa-
tion, that is his own fault, not the gospel's.
At the same time, it should be considered that
there are prejudices against what is learnt in
early life, as well as in favour of it. Good
principles may be taught us then, as well as
bad ones: and good principles received in edu-
kation may be rejected without examination;
las well as bad ones received in education, may
Iwithout examination be retained. There may
ibe prejudices without enquiry or reason against
^Christianity, as well as for it : and persons who
lhave had an infidel education, may be pre-
judiced in favour of infidelity, just as naturally
land as readily as those who have had a Chris-
itiari education, may be in favour of Christia-
nity.
After considering what has been adduced by
way of evidence for the truth of the gospel,
;this objection will have but little weight: and
238
that little will be taken away when we reflect,
that though now the prejudices of education are
in favour of Christianity, at first it had the
prejudices of education, fashion, influence,
public opinion, and every thing to contend
against: and it was only by overcoming them
that the gospel prevailed in the world.
SECTION X.
Obj. Very few of the Great and the Learned embraced
th€ Christian Religion.
How hardly shall they that are rich enter
into the kingdom of heaven," was a declaration
of the founder of Christianity : and history and
observation confirm its truth* It is asserted by
some of the first names in literature, that at the
time of the planting of the gospel in the world,
the superior class in society despised the na-
tional religion, and considered it merely as a
convenient tool of the state. How unlikely is
it, that such persons should pay the smallest at-
tention to what was considered as a foreign
superstition, introduced by men of inferior sta-
tions. Though a few of the great were num-
bered among the disciples of Christ, can we
wonder if nearly the whole of them rejected
him, and stedfastly adhered to the old religion
as the guardian of their ancient and peculiar
privileges?
239
It has likewise been confidently asserted, that
u Had Christianity been true, the philosophers
and learned men would have embraced it with
avidity." Some did embrace the gospel, and
wrote treatises in its defence : but the gene-
rality of them were among its foes. We shall
not wonder at this, when we consider that they
were placed in a situation not very dissimilar
to the former class, and nourished dispositions
equally unfavourable to the gospel. Tacitus
and Suetonius briefly mention Christ and his
religion. Some of the most eminent literary
men of the succeeding a^e do the same : and
Lucian endeavours to hold the Christians up to
ridicule. But one thing is evident in all : none
of them understood the nature of Christianity :
they speak of it like babes. We shall not be
surprised at this, when we find a similar ig-
norance in a more enlightened age. Voltaire in
his strictures on Calvinism, in his Steele de Louis
xiv. was evidently ignorant of the doctrines
and spirit of the sect, which he describes with
so much bitterness and contempt. There is an
event of the same kind, and still more remark-
able, in England. Methodism has subsisted
there for upwards of half a century. The sect
consists of some hundred thousand persons ; and
they have given the world a full account of
their principles. Notice has been taken of them,
by some of the first literary characters, in their
publications: but we see that they were unac-
240
quainted with their system, and have grossly
misrepresented it. Whether a single exception
can be found, may be a doubt: and the ignor-
ance still remains. In all these instances it
proceeds from the same cause : they feel a con-
tempt for the new sect as scarcely able to name
a man of fashion among its votaries : or if they
pay any attention to its tenets, it is with a dis-
position of mind which regards the system as
infinitely contemptible. In such a case they
cannot understand it, nor perceive its evidence :
the whole is conducted under the influence of
prejudice. This will easily and naturally ac-
count for the unbelief, both of the great, and of
the philosophers and men of letters.
SECTION XI.
Obj. There are many Divisions, and great Dissensions
among Christians,
Ihe truth of the objection is readily admitted,
but its force is denied. Consider Christianity as
coming from God, — it is pure and unspeakably
good: view it as received by men, it will be, as
schoolmen say, secundum modum recipientis. If
the difference of capacity, and the prejudices
and passions of mankind be duly weighed, we
shall hot account it strange, if they do not think
alike, nor receive the truth in all its purity.
£41
But this is not peculiar to the Christian religion.
There are divisions and dissensions as to reli-
gious sentiments among pagan idolaters, a-
rnong mahometans, and among deists. You
cannot deny it. But the deist does not consider
this as a reason for rejecting deism. If so,
neither is it a reason for rejecting Christianity.
More particularly, some men are destitute of
every noble principle : they are full of deceit,
avarice, pride, and sensuality. We see them
abuse the gifts of nature and of providence : is
it wonderful then, if they pervert Christianity
too, and entertain different ideas of many of its
doctrines from men of goodness and humility ?
It is no more an objection against Christianity
being from God, because such persons err from
its parity, than that the gifts of nature and of
providenc. came not from God, because they
use them in a different manner from wise and
holy men. Weakness of intellect will produce
peculiarities of sentiment on every subject, and
consequently on religion. The prejudices of
education and early habits will generate attach-
ments to certain opinions and rites : hence also
differences in religion will arise ; but the fault
is not in Christianity, it is in man. From simi-
lar causes, we see a diversity of judgment among
the learned respecting sciences of great utility,
namely medicine, law, politics, philosophy :
but notwithstanding this, all allow them to be
highly beneficial to mankind : none deny their
M
242
usefulness, although people differ about some
particular points. To reject the gospel be-
cause bad men pervert it, and weak men deform
it, and angry men quarrel about it, and bi-
gotted itfen look sour on others and curse them
because they do not agree in every tittle with
themselves, displays the same folly as if a per-
son should cut down a tree bearing abundance
of delicious fruit, and furnishing a refresh-
ing shade, because caterpillars disfigured the
leaves, and spiders made their webs among the
branches.
SECTION XII.
Ob j. There is much Obscurity in the New Testament,
and there are many things mysterious.
Before complaints of this kind can furnish a
solid objection, it is necessary to know what
was the design of the writers of the volume. If
it was their declared intention to make every
thing so clear j that there should be no obscu-
rity, and every thing level to our capacity, so
that there should be nothing mysterious, then
obscurity and mysteries may be urged as a just
ground of complaint* But no such promise is
given ; and it appears evidently to be the in*.
tention of the author, that the book should con-
tain things obscure and mysterious, as well as
things plain and clear : yet no just objection
m
arises hence. The sun is the light, and a
sufficient light to the world ; but there are dif-
ferent decrees of clearness : distant bodies are
not so distinctly perceived as those which are
near : objects do not appear so clear by twilight,
as at noon-day ; nor at noon in the shady
grove, as in the open field: but still the sun
answers all the purposes which God intended.
It is so with the New Testament. But to take
a more particular view of the subject.
The New Testament is charged with obscu-
rity. Many things, it will be allowed by all,
are exceedingly plain ; the^e are the most ne-
cessary truths. Some parts are obscure. The
obscurity arises from different causes. It is an
old book written in thp oriental manner : the
language, the figures, and the mode of compo-
sition, all so different from ours, sometimes
create a difficulty. There are references to
events and circumstances, with which we are
imperfectly, or not at all acquainted. The
nature of the subject may be sometimes assign-
ed as a cause : and sometimes the intention of
the writer, who did not mean to give us a full
view, but a rapid glance. The comprehensive
design will account for a part of the obscurity :
Some truths were put into the New Testament
for the particular benefit of those who were to
live at the distance of one or two thousand
years ; and in earlier ages were hard to be un-
derstood* But of the parts which wear the
M 2
244-
veil of obscurity, how many become plain from
study and vigorous application of mind. If
God give men an understanding, certainly its
energies should be employed here : and there is
nothing unsuitable to the divine nature, that a
revelation should be given, some parts of which
require the utmost exertion of intellect in or-
der to perceive the truth. If after all, certain
passages remain obscure, the reason has been
already assigned ; or they may be classed under
the following part of the objection.
" Some things in the New Testament are
mysterious" What right has man to require
that all should be light, and all level to his com-
prehension ? Are there not mysteries in the
works of creation, concerning which the wisest
philosopher must confess his ignorance ? Is not
this the case in natural religion ? Who can
comprehend God's necessary existence, a
Being without a cause producing it? Why
then should it be considered as an objection
against the New Testament, that there are
some things in it which we cannot fully com-
prehend? If after we have seen on numberless
occasions faith uniting with reason, the writers
should on some instances soar above reason, btit
never stand in opposition to its dictates, what
just cause has man to complain ?
It merits peculiar notice, and is of great
weight on this subject, that God in his moral
government has not, in any one instance, acted
245
as man would have done: so different is his
reason from man's, and his judgment, as to what
is wisest and best. When a person surveys the
annals of the nations, what disorder, what
wickedness, what confusion, what misery! But
let him consider this is the history of what
takes place under the moral government of
God, whose plans are infinitely wise and righ-
teous and good ; and who, while he consults his
own honour, is promoting the happiness of
those who love him, and in the highest degree.
How mysterious does every thing appear ! He
who believes the perfections ancl providence of
God, must acknowledge the fact ; but he is
utterly at a loss to explain how it can possibly
be. The thing itself is certain, but the manner
is a perfect mystery: the machinery is in-
finitely too complicated for man to survey and
comprehend.
Some Greenland boys, when the missionaries
were attempting to teach them the alphabet,
disgusted with the task, exclaimed, u Is it not
far better to be in a kajak catching seals, as our
fathers do, than to be crying A, B, C ; or like
you, scrawling all day long with a feather?'*
The good to be derived from education was a
mystery. Some of the parts of divine instruc-
tion and their connection with the end they are
designed to produce, are equally mysterious to
us. When we were children, there were things
in the conduct of our parents, the reason of
246
which we could not comprehend. And shall
the little child man imagine that he can under-
stand ever}? dispensation of the great father of
all ? We have since seen the wisdom of our
parents in that which we condemned ; and
should not man form the same judgment in
respect to the government of God ?
If the subject be duly considered, so far from
its appearing suspicious that there should be
mysteries in the christian religion, it will rather
be regarded as a proof of its divine origin. If
nothing more was contained in the New Testa-
ment, than we knew before; or nothing more
than we could easily comprehend, we might
justly doubt if it came from God, and whether it
was not rather a work of man's device. Were
there mysteries in the duties of Christianity, an
objection might justly be ■ raised ; but not so
with respect to the doctrines. That there will
be some things respecting the nature and go-
vernment of God which are not fully revealed ;
some things which are merely hinted at on ac-
count of their connexion with other parts of
divine truth ; and some things which are just
mentioned but not explained, because they
exceed the grasp of the human understanding,
it is natural for us to expect : and what just
ground is there of complaint ? In a word, if in
the phenomena of nature, and in the moral
government of the Deity there are many things
confessedly mysterious j is it not more than pro-
247
bable that this will be the case in a revelation
of his will, where the subject is equally vast,
and in some respects far more comprehensive ?
Without mysteries the gospel would not be like
the works of God.
SECTION XIII.
Osj. When we survey the Form and Mode of Com*,
position of the Books of the New Testament , we cannot
conceive that they were written by divine Inspiration.
The New Testament is undoubtedly a very
remarkable book. Men who never studied
language or composition, wrote it in a foreign
tongue. Illiterate Jews drew it up in Greek,
which was the most common medium of inter-
course in the civilized world at that time : the
idiom of consequence is oriental, the words are
from Greece : it may be said that they thought
in Hebrew, and wrote in Greek. Its contents
have been already considered ; and the wrorld
is challenged to produce a book on subjects
equally important, and at the same time so in-
structive and satisfactory. The method is more
loose than suits a modern taste ; but it is just
what we should look for from such men, and in
such an age. As to the style ; it is what it might
be expected, that men in their circumstances
248
and with their views, would employ. Except-
ing part of the Old Testament, it is the simplest
book that ever was written. — None make so
ridiculous a figure as illiterate men, when they
wish to write fine language. The evangelists
and apostles make no such attempt : the\7 are
above it : they are never at pains to stop for a
word, but take just such as occur : every one
must see that they are minding things and not
words. According to the taste of their nation
and age, there is a great deal of figurative
language, and much allegory, and frequent
allusions to the sacred books of the Jews.
But notwithstanding these peculiarities, their
manner of representation is so luminous, as to
be altogether unequalled. In proof of this it is
absolutely certain, that a person unaccustomed
to mental exertions, whether from his youth, or
want of practice, or weakness of capacity, will
understand more of the history of the New
Testament than of any other book ; and have
clearer ideas of the facts which are narrated :
he will likewise have more distinct conceptions
both of its religious principles and moral pre-
cepts, than he could derive from the writings
of the most celebrated philosophers, were even
the same truths contained in them.
It is not difficult to raise objections against
the form of the New Testament ; and they may
at first sight appear plausible : but the more
they are considered, the less weight they will
249
be found to have. There is a great diversity
of taste with respect to the composition of a
book, between people in the eastern and the
western parts of the world: besides this, almost
everv nation has its distinguishing taste. When
God grants a written revelation of his will, it
cannot suit even so much as the national taste
of all the human race. Is it not natural to
suppose, that he will leave the men whom he is
pleased to employ, to follow the method which
was familiar to the age and nation in which
they lived ? As he selected Jews for this pur-
pose, we may expect to find the oriental man-
ner of writing, distinguished by the peculiar
taste of the Jewish people. And where is the
injustice and unreasonableness of God's requir-
ing men to receive the knowledge of his will in
the dress of the land of Canaan r If an eastern
prince grant to any European nation, a letter
of privileges conveying singular advantages in
commerce, who refuses it, and objects that the
letter is drawn up in the outlandish phraseology
of oriental composition ?■ Display the same
candour here; and the objection will no more
be heard. Is it wise to say, " I cannot think
this book, though full of blessings, is from
God ; and I will not receive it, because the
men who wrote it had long beards, and wore
loose garments, and did not appear in a French
dress P' As to what respects style, it is beneath
the author to be solicitous about ornaments :
M 3
250
God will not address us, as a rhetorician would.
The speech of a king is not, or should not be
gaudy and laboured : and the laws of nations
are not promulgated in flowery language.
SECTION XIV.
Ob j. How can we be certain that the Books of the New
. Testament were written by the Apostles of Christ:
and if they were, that they have not been interpolated
and corrupted since ?
You are satisfied that the Iliad was written by
Homer, the Eneid by Virgil, the works of
Horace by that poet, and the orations of Cicero
by the famous Roman orator of that name.
If I ask, why do you believe this? The testi-
mony of all antiquity, you say, confirms it. The
books of the New Testament have the same
authority in their favour. This additional
evidence they have, that as their contents are
more important, and they professed and were
thought by multitudes to contain doctrines
essentially necessary to salvation, people were
far more interested in knowing that they were
written by the apostles of Christ, as they de-
rived all their value thence. What is there in
the works of Homer or Virgil which could
provoke so strict a scrutiny ? Let it be seriously
c25 1
considered then, that whatever overthrows the
New Testament, overthrows all other ancient
books, and along with them all the evidence
of testimony. Those men of later times who
have called in question the authority of the
New Testament, are not aware of the ab-
surdity of their conduct. When Hardouin the
Jesuit, a very learned man, gravely asserted
and maintained that Homer, and Virgil, and
Horace, and Cicero, and all the other Greek
and Roman classics were written by cloistered
monks in the middle ages, there was so deep a
sense of the gross absurdity of the thing, that
he drew upon himself the universal laugh of
the literary world: and that was confutation
enough. The same treatment is justly due to
those who assert that the New Testament was
written by other men than the apostles of
Christ : for it is a thousand times easier to forge
such writings as those of Homer and Virgil,
than the Gospels and Epistles.
That the writings of the New Testament have
not been interpolated nor corrupted, nor have
come down to us in a different state from that
in which they left the hands of the Evangelists
and Apostles, we have the best of reasons to
conclude. It will be readily granted, that from
the haste or ignorance of transcribers there
may be the mistake of a name, a date, a place,
or a particular word. This is the case with all
the other ancient books I have mentioned, and
252
in a far greater degree. Yet notwithstanding
these errors of the press, as they may be called,
we think the purity of the classics sufficient to
warrant us to say, that they have not been in-
terpolated nor corrupted ; but are still the same
as when they were first composed. Internal
evidence has great weight. The beauty of com-
position in genera], and the peculiar style of
each writer convince the critic that the work
is genuine, and all of a piece : it has the seal of
the author's mind stamped upon it. Such a
peculiarity of manner have the apostles of
Jesus Christ ; and to imitate them is beyond
the capacity of man. Some pieces were in the
primitive ages of Christianity ascribed to them,
of which a few fragments remain : but he
who has imbibed the spirit of their writings,
if he will compare with the New Testament
the works which were falsely attributed to
them, will find the difference in /every respect
as great, as a classical scholar will, between the
orations of Cicero, and Pagninus's Latin ver-
sion of the scriptures. The homogeneity of
the New Testament (if the word may be per-
mitted) furnishes the strongest proof that it
was composed by men of the same spirit, and
of the same wisdom ; and that there is no
foreign mixture.
If besides this, we consider the veneration
which the primitive christians had for the
writings of the apostles, nothing can be more
253
unlikely than that they should have a desire to
alter them. Their veneration was a sufficient
security for tl-^ir fidelity. But if any of them
had entertained a wish to alter the books of
the New Testament, it would have been im-
possible for them to succeed. Copies were
speedily multiplied: they were in the hands
of christians in all the churches : they were
translated early into the different languages
spoken by the several nations, among which the
gospel was planted : pious men in their reli-
gious treatises, quoted passages from them:
sects and parties soon arose, and heretics erred
from the truth : but all received the same sacred
books ; and they became a check upon each
other, and rendered corruptions and interpola-
tions impossible. Every succeeding age in-
creased the difficulty ; and the comparison of
the different ancient manuscripts and copies at
the present time, does not affect a single doctrine
of Christianity, nor a single duty.
In fixing the canon of the New Testament,
i, e. in distinguishing the writings of theevan-
gelists and apostles from those of other men,
the ancient christians proceeded with the utmost
caution : and who would not approve of caution
in a matter of so much importance? If a per-
son was receiving a sum of money for you,
would you not commend the attention which
carefully examined every piece ? Such cau-
tious scrutiny was here employed; and no
254
book was admitted into the volume, till it was
ascertained that it was of divine authority, or,
in other words, was written by the evangelists
and apostles of Christ. Such as were not written
by them, (and it could be known bv enquiry)
were rejected : such as were doubtful they hesi-
tated about, and waited till their doubts were
removed : and such as were known to be written
by the apostles, they immediately received. —
If these very brief hints be duly weighed ; and
especially if the objectors will take the trouble
to consider the subject more fully, they will
find a mass of evidence in support of the
authenticity, purity, and divine authority of
the New Testament, of the existence of which
they before had no idea.
SECTION XV.
Obj* Many of the Advocates for the Religion of Jesus
inveigh bitterly against Philosophy, because they
know that Christianity cannot bear the strict Scrutiny
of her penetrating Eye.
That a great outcry has of late been raised by
some persons against philosophy ; and that men
have been taught to regard it as the most
hideous monster ever seen on earth, and en-
treated ov commanded to bring swords and
spears, and unite for its destruction, is but too
255
true. Let it cover them, for it ought, with me-
rited disgrace: Tor there is either a lack of
wisdom ; or else instead of the advancement of
religion, they have some worldly interest in
view : but let it not be charged to the account
of the gospel, and interpreted to its dishonour.
Christianity blushes while she hears such ad-
vocates pleading her cause; and turns away
from them with disgust, lamenting that those
who call themselves her children, have not im-
bibed a larger measure of wisdom and good-
ness.
Philosophy, true philosophy (for there is false
philosophy as well as false religion, and the
New Testament condemns both) is highly
valuable; it is in all its branches exceedingly
useful; and it has contributed in an eminent
degree to the improvement and happiness of
the human race. Ever}' enlightened christian
acknowledges this, and is desirous that philo-
sophy may rapidly proceed in improving every
part of her extensive system; and that all her
discoveries may be more extensively known.
Moses of old wished that all the people of Israel
were prophets : the disciple of Jesus wishes that
all the inhabitants of the earth were philosophers
If we except bloated pride, nothing is more
opposite or more hostile to Christianity than
brutish ignorance: sound knowledge, especially
of philosophy, as it improves the mental powers,
is favourable to the study and reception o£ the
gospel.
256
Some, or shall I say, many of late who call
themselves philosophers, have rejected the
gospel, and have said that philosophy taught
them to reject it : but true philosophy was no
more the cause of the rejection, than the sun is
the cause of darkness. As it is not every one
who lays claim to wisdom that is wise, nor
every one who boasts of his integrity that is
upright j so it is not every man who calls him-
self a philosopher, that has attained to true phi-
losophy. Should a person have even acquired
a considerable knowledge of its speculative
truths, yet if he hath not the heart of a philo-
sopher, he wants the principal part. If Christi-
anity be rejected by him, it is not to its dis-
honour.
Did the limits of this essay permit, it could
be shewn, that philosophy contains no prin-
ciples which are hostile to Christianity. When
viewed in its full extent, and embracing every
object of pursuit, the study of mind, of morals,
and of nature, Christianity does not perceive an
enemy, but an humble ally, whose exertions
are not injurious, but favourable to her cause.
Those who have leisure, are earnestly entreated
to study philosophy with wisdom, and to read
the New Testament with a pure unbiassed mind :
the gospel is not afraid of the result. But how
few can find time for so laborious a research!
There is however a more compendious method
T&rhich they may pursue, so as to obtain a con-
j7
siderable degree of satisfaction on the subject,
Let example have its due weight. No one will
deny Bacon, Newton, Locke, Boyle, Leibnitz,
Paschal, and St. Pierre to have been philo-
sophers. They were christians too : and may
not their belief of its truth, and reception of
its principles be considered as no mean argu-
ment, that philosophy is not at variance with
the gospel ; but as its handmaid, conducts the
philosopher to Jesus to sit at his feet, and learn
heavenly wisdom ?
These are some of the most common and
weighty objections against the gospel. That
there is not all the force in them which deists
fondly suppose, the answers given, will shew.
Many others might have been mentioned; for
the apostles are not like artful men conscious
of fraud, who when they see that an objection
may be started, are at pains to obviate it: but
thev £0 straight forward, and deliver the most
revolting principles, and record the most extra-
ordinary actions and events without comment
or apology, and leave their book to the free ex-
amination of mankind.
The writings .of the New Testament are like
the works of creation and providence : they
carry their evidence along with them ; but they
furnish matter for abundance of objections. —
What is the use of the vast sandv deserts of
258
Arabia, and Lybia? What good end can be
answered by the pestilential winds which blow
certain death over them to the unwary traveller?
What benefit did devouring earthquakes ever
convey to the human race ? What wisdom or
goodness can you point out in any of these ?
Though I should be utterly at a loss for an
answer, you are yourselves convinced, there
is sufficient evidence that the universe was
created by a Being infinitely wise, and in-
finitely good. In the government of the world,
how many events occur concerning which
Diagoras would say, "If there were a righte-
ous governor who superintends all the affairs
of men, wrould he ever allow such acts of horrid
wickedness, as shameless falsehood, and rob-
bery, and perjury at the very altar of Deity to
take place, or to pass unnoticed and unre-
venged ?" But you justly conceive, notwith-
standing these objections and difficulties, that,
" verily there is a God who judges on the
earth."
Let the same rule be observed respecting the
gospel ; and the christian asks no more. There
are difficulties, you say, in some parts of the
system, which you cannot solve; and they
seem to be contrary to the wisdom, rectitude,
and goodness of the Deity. Were this really
the case, you perceive that, in arguing from
analogy, it is no proof that the christian re-
ligion is not from God, Notwithstanding the
:>9
difficulties in creation and providence, evidence
compels us to acknowledge God as the creator
and governor of the world. In like manner
if the gospel have evidence in its support equal
to the former acknowledged works of God, the
; difficulties which occur, by no means shake its
credit. But the objections against it are far
from being so strong, and so difficult to be
solved; and much more satisfactory answers
may be given, than to these against creation
and providence ; while the evidence which
must from the nature of the subject be of a
widely different kind, is so diversified, compre-*
hensive, and full, that no humble enquirer will
have reason to say: " God has required me to
believe, without giving sufficient proof, that
the gospel is a revelation from heaven ,"
260
CHAPTER IX.
THE SENTIMENTS jSND CONDUCT OF THE DEISTS
ERIEFLY CONSIDERED.
Hitherto the deist has been the assailant;
and has taken up his station within the limits
of the kingdom of Jesus Christ. He has de-
manded a sight of the Redeemer's title to the
extensive dominions which he calls his own,
and to the subjection of the millions over whom
he reigns : and it has been shewn him without
hesitation. He has brought forward his objec-
tions : and answers have been given. The
christian will now advance into the territories
of deism, and make the attack in his turn, not
however with carnal weapons, but with those
spiritual arms which have been in every age
€t mighty through God to the pulling down of
strong holds, casting, down imaginations, and
every high thing that exalteth itself against the
knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity
every* thought to the obedience of Christ."
2 Cor. x. He wishes the, deist to gird on his
armour, and defend himself like a man. Truth
is the object for which the christian contends ;
truth which will direct men how to serve and
to please God, and to walk in the path to
261
eternal felicitv. If the deist be acting with
consistency, he prefers his own system, because
it possesses greater advantages in both these
respects ; and teaches more clearly and fully
how to please God, and to be happy. But if,
while he rejects and opposes Christianity, he is
contented with a religion which leaves him en-
tirely in the dark respecting the most important
concerns of man, his conduct will not endure
the scrutiny of penetrating and impartial rea*-
son. — But let the matter be subjected to a fair
trial.
SECTION I.
\ Deists do not excunine Christianity with the Spirit of
Men who are searching after Truth.
VV hen men are disputing about trifles, levity
'in ay be pardonable: but when the subject of
discussion is of infinite importance, a grave
and serious frame of mind is highly becoming,
and absolutely necessary. The want of it is
a hideous blemish. No subjects were ever
brought before the tribunal of the human mind,
half so important as those of the New Testa-
ment: viz. the nature of God, his government,
our duty to him, and the eternal state of man
in happiness, or in misery. These are things
so vast and so weighty, that we may justly say9
262
the man is not in earnest in his enquiries, who
treats them with levity.
Bat is not this the way, in which Christianity
has been almost always treated by deists ? How
few exceptions can be named ! Instead of that
honesty of disposition which examines with
candour, which weighs evidence with impar-
tiality, and which appreciates with fairness the
discoveries which the gospel has made, and its
numerous additions to the limits of human
knowledge on religious subjects, -how is it that
we seldom discover aught but a mind full of
levity or spleen? They hold up Christianity to
ridicule, and treat it with contempt. They
aim at displaying ill-natured wit; and bitter
sarcasms issue from their hearts on every occa-
sion. They carp at every trifle, at which it is
possible to take exception: they try to find
fault with every thing: false allegations are
frequently made: in all their discussions, there
is an evident hatred of the gospel, which they
cannot repress: the purity of its precepts seems
to give peculiar offence.
There is another thing which still more
strongly inclines me to think that deists are not
in earnest. They are not at pains to instruct
their votaries in the religious and moral prin-
ciples of their system. They discover zeal
enough to draw men away from the gospel :
but they can consider this as nothing more, on
their own system, than the rooting out of false
l
263
principles from the heart. The main object
.yet remains, namely, the implanting of good
ones. But what ar Jour does the deist discover
here? What convert can bear witness to your
serious assiduity in instructing him in the ar-
ticles of natural religion ? Which of your vo-
taries can say, that you have repeatedly and
affectionately exhorted him to a more pious,
benevolent, and virtuous life than he led
before? Men who neglect these things, what-
ever they may pretend, are not in earnest in
zeal for their system > and in their search for
true religion.
When I observe this to be the common
spirit of the adversaries of the gospel, I cease
to wonder at their rejection of it. Whatever
you may say to the contrary, you are not in
quest of truth. You appear to be afraid of it>
and to dislike it ; and to have a wish to be free
from its restraints. Your minds are in such a
frame, that it is scarcely possible that you. will
ever be able to arrive at truth. Christianity^
from your rejection, suffers no stain ; it rather
acquires an additional evidence of its divine
264
SECTION II.
Deists do not seem, even with respect to their own System
of Religion, to be in earnest, either as to the Practice
or Propagation of it.
In every country, the mass of the people pro-
fesses to be of that religion which is established,
whatever it may be. Where Christianity is
established, they call themselves christians.
But we are not to conclude from hence, that
multitudes of them believe its principles, or
study to regulate their lives by its precepts.
They are no more christians on that account;
than they are philosophers, because philosophy
is cultivated and understood by a great number
of persons in the country where they dwell.
The argument for or against Christianity from
the lives of its professors, is not to be taken
from such people, but from those who profess
to be christians from conviction, and who en-
deavour to act according to its dictates. While
this reasonable request is made for christians,
deists have a right to be treated in the same
manner; and those only to be considered as
deists, who profess to be so from conviction.
But with this limitation, are not deists charge-
able with neglecting both the practice and the
propagation of their religion ?
S65
There have been deists in France, and in
England, for near a century and a half; and
full time has been given for the display of its
influence in the lives of its votaries. Natural
religion enjoins the exercise of virtue ; and it
calls its disciples to pray to, and to praise the
Defty both in private and in public. Christianity
commands the same things, but in a far wider ex-
tent ; and with additional considerations and in-
structions. Those who make any credible pre-
tensions to a belief of the gospel have their
individual and domestic devotions, and their as-
semblies for public worship. Whether deists
have worshipped God in secret, and with their
families, must be left to the decision of their
conscience. But concerning their public wor-
ship, we are able to form a more accurate judg-
ment. With one solitary exception of very
short duration*, it is not known that there has
been one worshipping society of deists in Eng-
land; but the most learned and zealous ad-
vocates of the system, as to any outward ac-
knowledgment of the Deity, have lived as
atheists in the world f. What is called natural
* About twenty years ago, a teacher of Christianity who
turned deist, set up the worship of God in a chapel in Lon-
don, and officiated as the priest of nature. But the deists
soon grew tired of worshipping God ; and long before a
lustrum had revolved, the chapel was shut up.
f The old English deists, with the exception of Lord
Herbert of Cherbury and a few others, acted in such a
N
266
religion, affords many noble topics of pious
conversation. Can those who have associated
much with deists, or can deists themselves
testify, that it is their practice to speak of the
Deity with devout veneration, and to recom-
mend to others his worship, and the practice
of every virtue 5 — Is it the want of virtue in
the world, and the inefficacy of Christianity
to produce it, that they assign as reasons for
preferring natural religion ? Do not their writ-
ings discover that this is not the case ; and
that on the contrary, its precepts are too strict,
manner, that if christians had pursued the same line of con-
duct in respect to deism, as they did in respect to Christia-
nity, I wouM say, " they were mean, canting, hypocritical
men." They wanted honesty. Instead of professing their
real sentiments, they called themselves christians, while
they did every thing in their power to discredit the gospel.
If their principles exposed them to sufferings, why did they
not manfully endure them ? Christians have always done
30. Besides, they stood forth in many instances as the ad-
vocates of immorality and vice, and laughed at every thing
serious and devout. That portion of the French deists
who call themselves Theophilanthropists appears a very
superior class of men to both the old French and English
deists. They frankly avow their principles: " we are,
say they, the votaries of natural religion." They compose
liturgies: they meet for public worship: they ofler praise
and prayers: they have discourses on the nature of God,
and the duties of man. A deist who is seeking in earnest
how to please God, and enjoy his favour, is on the road to
Christianity: " every one who hath heard and learned of
the Father cometh unto Christ," and will thankfully take
refuge under the shadow of the gospel.
267
and the licence it gives to indulgence of ap-
petites and passions too small? If these things
be considered, is there not great reason to fear,
that many persons quit Christianity, and take
refuge in deism, that they may be freed from the
restraints of the gospel, and have the pleasure
to sin by a system*?
Nor has more attention been paid by deists
to the propagation of their religion. When a
man holds principles which he thinks will con-
duce greatly to the honour of God, and the
happiness of mankind, it is his duty to diffuse
them to the utmost of his power. Whether he
be christian, mahometan, deist, or heathen, the
obligation is the same. There have been deists
in Christendom for a long time past. Some of
them were men of learning, of influence, and
of authority. That they have shewn a zeal to
convert some christians to their way, is true;
but if it stop here, what judgment shall we
form of its purity ? Christians are taught to
a,dore and worship God, and to practise every
* This representation is mournfully confirmed by the
zeal discovered not many years ago by some infidels in
France, to blot out a future stste of existence from the
mind. " That death is an eternal sleep," was a favourite
maxim ; and was publicly affixed on some of the reposi-
tories of the dead. What the motive of these men was for
rejecting the scripture, is but too evident: they disliked
the purity and the punishments of the gospel. Is it harsh
to say, that the reason why such men wished to die like 3
dog, wa? because they wished to live like a dog?
268
virtue. — By such conversions, little is gained
to the cause of real goodness: not a new motive
is suggested to amend their character. Whether
deists are at pains by means of elementary books
to instruct their families in the principles of
natural religion, and to press the observances of
its precepts by the motives it suggests, must be
left to their own minds to determine.
But there are two ways in which true zeal
would naturally display itself, in neither of
which, however, does it appear. There is a
great number of vicious, immoral persons in
France and England, who act contrary to reason,
and discover by their habitual behaviour an
utter contempt of the Supreme Being. Who-
ever heard of deists using their endeavours to
bring these sinners to repentance, and reclaim
them from their vicious courses? There is
another class of men who have long been calling
for the benevolent aid of the deist's zeal. A
considerable portion of the globe is filled with
heathen idolaters, whose religion they must con-
sider as dishonourable to the Deity, and de-
basing to themselves. Deism they regard as
the best religion, the most pleasing to God,
and the most safe and happy for man. But
who ever heard of a mission of deists to teach
the blinded votaries of pagan idolatry, the
knowledge 6f the true God, the creator and
governor of the world? It does not appear
from their writings, that such a thought ever
269
entered a deist's mind. So general a want of
zeal in these respects is very remarkable,
Does it not lead to a suspicion, that there is
something amiss in the system, or in the men
) hold it ; that either it does not communi-
cate a spirit of love, or that they do not feel it ;
or- that both may be combined as a cause ?
SECTION III,
Hgtj) little the Enemies of Christianity haze been able
to say against it, merits Notice.
feiNCE* the very day that Jfcsus Christ began to
preach > the gospel has been violently opposed :
and the opposers have sought to justify them-
selves in their rejection of it, The Jews did
every thing that men could, to discover its
falsehood ; for their all depended on the dis-
covery. But what did they produce which
merits notice? — Nor were the heathens less
zealous on the same side. Rulers, priests, and
philosophers had each their peculiar cause of
quarrel with the gospel : and when the interests
of a body of men are at stake, talents have never
been wanting to support their cause, even in
the rudest age. But were they more successful
n the Jews ? If the writings of some be lost,
the substance of others remains : but they ex^
mo
hibit nothing formidable or subversive of its
truth. From the earliest adversaries we may
expect the strongest arguments against it, as
their means of refutation were more easy. But
instead of taking the same ground with adver-
saries of the last century, Celsus, one of the
first writers against Christianity, allows that
Christ and his apostles did really perform the
miracles to which they laid claim. A few
ages afterwards, when the Jews composed their
Talmuds, would they not put into them what-
ever could fortify their nation against the
gospel: but what do they contain that can
confute it ? It is not without triumph, that the
christian must view the feeble darts both of the
ancient Jews and heathens.
In modern times the adversaries of Christi-
anity * have assumed a bolder attitude. Their
* Volney, a French infidel writer, denies that there
i>ver was such a person as Jesus Christ. Those who un-
derstand the nature of moral evidence, and the very full
measure of it for the existence of Christ, must acknowledge,
that for groundlessness and presumption, Volney's senti-
ment stands afone, among all the bold and daring things that
were ever spoken by any of the sons of men. If he do
not mean to sport with his brethren, and try how far their
credulity will go, but is really in earnest in his assertion,
I shall be supported by every* sober mind in averring, that
Bedlam is a habitation for people who have a hundred
times more reason: and that his ma?iia is both so peculiar
and so inveterate, that no place has yet been erected fit
for the abode of an unhappy man, who to such a total de-
rangement, adds a whole chaos of absurdity.
271
elder brethren who lived near the christian aerar
had as perfect a hatred of the gospel : some of
them were high in rank and office : and the
civil authority with which they were vested,
enabled them the better to discover the truth ;
but after all, they were obliged to acknowledge
the reality of the miracles of the New Testa-
ment. Of late, the adversaries deny them,
with a high tone of assurance. Some have
professed to demonstrate that miracles are
impossible : others have attempted to ex-
pose the futility or falsehood of particular
passages: and multitudes have searched for
contradictions, objections, and difficulties, in
the scriptures : and they have plentifully be-
strewed their compositions with ridicule and
sarcasm. Some of these adversaries are men
of talents and learning ; while others possess
neither, and have nothing to recommend them,
but a hatred of the gospel. But what have all
these men- been able to say against it? The
christian who ha." read extensively on the sub-
ject, will be gratified to see how easily and
satisfactorily their objections have been an-
swered; how wide of the mark their bitter
arrows have flown; how little they have been
able to invalidate the grand evidences for Chris-
tianity : and how entire and firm the building
remains, after all their efforts to overthrow it.
Nor indeed are the objections so numerous, as
one ignorant of the controversy would suppose :
'. 272
for although the writings of deists be greatly
multiplied, we find often little else but the ob-
jections made by former authors, again pre-
sented to view. Persons who would attack the
works of creation and providence, would be
able to say more against them, and in a more
forcible way, than has been said against divine
revelation.
SECTION IV.
From a Spirit of Opposition to the Gospel, and in order
to destroy its Credibility, Deists run into the grossest
Absurdities,
When men, in order to oppose successfully a
system which they dislike, run into the grossest
absurdities; and believe any thing however im-
probable which has a tendency to discredit
it, there is some reason to conclude that the
system is true : at any rate, there is the
strongest reason to believe that they are wrong.
How prominent is this feature in deists, where
Christianity is concerned ! Many of them are
men of much erudition, of good sense, and of
sound judgment : but there is a certain fatuity
quoad hoc , which every reader of the controversy
must have observed. The religion of the
ancient heathens of Greece and Rome was a
273
heterogeneous mass of idolatry, superstition,
impurity, and barbarity. But how highly do
infidels extol it ! Gibbon who ranks among the
Pontifices Maximi of infidelity, always speaks
of it with approbation, and dignifies it with the
title of " the elegant mythology of the Greeks"
The Koran contains a profusion of ridiculous
ceremonies and unmeaning observances, and
various precepts contrary to reason and good-
ness : but the prophet of Mecca has won the
good graces of unbelievers; and the most civil
things are said of Mahomet and his reliction,
But why ? He was an enemy to the gospel of
Christ. Modern paganism likewise finds many
panegyrists among them. The religion of
Hindostan is w ell known to be a chaos of ido-
latry, lewdness, and cruelty : and the Hindoos,
by the testimony of the most competent judges,
are among the most dishonest, lewd, false,, and
deceitful people on the face of the earth. But
how highly have they been extolled by deistical
writers! If you give credit to the Abbe Raynal
and his coadjutors, you would suppose their re-
ligion the essence of wisdom and purity, and its
votaries the patterns of every virtue. _ But on
-what account do they thus misrepresent the
truth ? Christianity will suffer by the compari-
son , and the religion of Brahma appear supe-^
rior to the religion of Jesus.- — The chronology
of the scriptures agrees with the most authentic
ancient histories, with appearances ih nature,
n 3 /
9P&4
v^ith the invention of arts and sciences; and it
is confirmed by an accurate investigation of the
records of nations. But from a spirit'of pride,
the Egyptians, the Chinese, and the Hindoos
invented a chronology reaching back hundreds
of thousands, nzy millions of years. The reign
of some of the monarchs lasted for many
thousands. Deists drink down the enchanted
cup with avidity, and are intoxicated with
delight. But how is it, that sensible men can
for a moment give credit to such palpable ab-
surdities? Because the credibility of. the gospel
will be hereby ruined. — When a christian per-
forms eminent acts of goodness, infidels insi-
nuate that there is just cause to suspect him of
hypocrisy. If a man of another creed do the
same things, though in an inferior degree, he
and his religion are exalted to the skies : and
to hint a suspicion that he may be a hypocrite,
is an unpardonable crime. Because Christian-
ity has teachers of religion, all her ministers
are bitterly inveighed against as ignorant or
artful priests, destitute of every good principle.
Let bad men who assume the office, be covered
with as heavy a load of infamy as you please.
But why this enmity against the good ones,
who not only teach but practise virtue, and who
along with Christianity illustrate all the prin-
ciples, and enforce all the precepts of natural
religion as extensively, and earnestly, and con-
stantly as ever a deist did ? They are ministers
275
of the gospel, and that is crime enough: every
thing connected with it is an object of dislike.
The deist is entreated to consider the conduct
of his fathers and brethren, with an unbiassed
mind. Tt is painful to be compelled to bring
such heavy charges against a body of men : but
can he contradict them ? Does it not appear,
as if all means were thought lawful against the
christian religion ; and that it must be con-
demnedper fas M nefas? But does it not like-
wise shew, that little reliance is to be placed
on men, who will employ such methods to ob-
tain their end ; and that they seem to feel a
consciousness, that their cause is not so good
as they would wish the world to believe f
SECTION V.
Tlie System of the Deists does not supply the Place of
the G&spel, nor make suitable and sufficient Provision
for the Happiness of Man.
The gospel clearly conveys to us the know-
ledge of every thing that is necessary to our
duty and happiness. The nature of God, the
manner of worshipping him, the way of accept-
ance with him, the various parts of duty, the
consolations of his promises, and. a future state
276
of reward and punishment are fully and plainly-
revealed ; and all the satisfaction which it is
reasonable for us to expect, is given. These
the deist rejects. It is natural then to con-
clude that he has something better to put in
their place ; and that if he rob us of thpse by
withdrawing our hearts from the gospel, he can
furnish more satisfactory discoveries of divine
truth, and more ample consolations. But what
is that system of religion which is to stand in
the gospel's room ?
It may be justly remarked, that'the deist's
only care has too often been to eradicate the
belief of the gospel from the heart : and when
that object has been attained, no pains were
taken to instil other principles ; but as if every
thing had then been done, the person was left
without any fixed principles to direct him.
This conduct certainly merits the severest re-
prehension: and it may justly be said, that
what influences such a zealot, is not the love of
truth or human happiness, but a hatred of
Christianity. But let us suppose a deist dis-
posed to teach the whole of his system ; what is
there in it that can supply the place of the
gospel ? What assurance can you give me,
0 deist, that God will hold friendly intercourse
with man ? When I wish to engage in wor-
ship, I seek " access through Christ by one
spirit unto the Father." But how do you say
1 am to worship God ? What particular diree-
277
tions can you give me; and what assurance
that my worship shall be favourably received ?
The New Testament informs me, that I may
hope for reconciliation with God, whom I have
offended , through the mediation of Jesus Christ :
but this doctrine you reject. How shall I then
obtain the pardon of my sins, and be admitted
into the friendship of God ? Tell me, deist,
for the subject is of the last importance to my
peace of mind. " Repent and reform your
life; and God will forgive you, and be your
friend." What dependence may I place on
your assertions ? Besides, how often, and how
long, and for what sins will repentance suf-
fice ? I am conscious, that every duty which I
perform, is attended with imperfections : what
assurance can you give me that it will be ac-
cepted ? I feel much consolation from the
prospects, and hopes of that state of blessed,
ness, which the gospel has encouraged the dis-
ciples of Jesus to look for after death. But
you say that the gospel is an imposture; and
you wish to cut off all my expectations. But
what do you put in its place ? You speak also
of a future state: but who ever saw it ? No
one, according to your system, ever came
down from heaven to reveal it : all rests on the
reasoning of man. But can man by reasoning
inform me, what the happiness is, how long it
will endure, and -whether it may not be lost ?
The gospel affords me resignation and comfort
278
amidst the sufferings of this present life, from
the consideration " that all things work, toge-*
ther for good to them that love God : and that
our light afflictions work out for us a far more
exceeding and eternal weight of glory." All
these I must reject, if I attend to you. But
where are the consolations you can furnish in
their place ? There are no declarations of God :
I must rest in the assertions and reasonings of
man r but will these suffice ?
In all these things, deist, you offer me nothing
beyond conjecture or a low degree of probabi-
lity. It may be : but it may not be. You can
present nothing like certainty and assurance.
And is this an adequate support ? Is this suf-
ficient to animate hope, and direct the life ? Is
it for this, that the christian is to forsake the
gospel, which is a " lamp to his feet, and a
light to his paths r" Shall he bid adieu to what
he justly accounts certainty, for a system which
even the deist cannot say, rises higher than
per adventure? — Brief hints must suffice, where
a more extended consideration is almost ne-
cessary to throw the full blaze of light on the
subject; a subject which everyone who rejects
Christianity, is loudly called on for his own sa-
tisfaction, to examine with the most serious at-
tention.
279
SECTION VI,
There is good Reason to conclude, that the Systtm &f
Natural Religion, ivhich the Deists profess to hold,
is derived from the Nexv Testament.
A divine revelation is needless," says
the deist : " reason will teach men all necessary
truths :" and in proof, he refers to the system
of natural religion which he has drawn up. But
is there no ground to deny your assertion, and
to charge you with having stolen your system
from the scriptures ? What it contains^ may
in general be called the principles of natural
religion : but the question is, " where did the
deist learn them r Was it from reason, or from
Christ ? That it was not from reason, the his-
tory of mankind affords evidence which it will
not be easy to refute.
The ancient philosophers of Greece and
Rome, were men of the first talents : they spent
their days in study: they frequently directed
their attention to the most important subjects r
and they wrote many books. But shew me
their system of natural religion ? Here and
there a fine sentiment is to be found, but sur-
rounded by pages of gross error : each dia-
mond is hid under mountains of rubbish; or
280
shall we rather say, it sparkles from a dung-
hill One of the first modern deists in En<r-
o
land attempted to compile a system out of
all these just ideas. But had he placed by
their side, the heaps of rubbish from which they
were extracted, had he brought forward the
superstition, the absurdity, and the idolatry
with which they stood connected in the original
authors, it would have appeared, that however
beautiful a whole they make in his hands, the
detached sentiments were of no use in theirs.
The general system of the wisest of them, and
their practice too, was abject superstition, and
gross idolatry. Nor have modern heathens
been more successful. Hindostan is a country
highly civilized : and its progress in useful arts
is universally acknowledged. The Bramins
are highly extolled for their learning, and for
the recondite wisdom which is contained in
their shatters. China has been still more loudly
celebrated for its improvements in science, as
well as in arts, and for the superior wisdom of
its institutions : and it has had also its philoso-
phers and its priests. These two countries
have been so long in a state of civilization, as
to unite in themselves the discoveries both of
ancient and modern times. Surely then Ave
may look for the purest system of natural re-
ligion from them. But instead of this, the
grossest idolatry reigns in both ; the learned
281
support it by their influence ; and they as well
as the ignorant are the slaves of the most ab-
ject and degrading superstition.
If such be the state of the ancient and mo-
dern nations, which have had reason for their
guide,, how comes it to pass that European
deists are so much superior to them in the
knowledge -of natural religion? Is it because
deists now are superior in talents ? This you
dare not assert. Whence is it that reason y
which would not be wooed by them, is so kind
to you ? Assign the cause. You will not.
It is no other than this : you live where the
light of the, gospel shines; and from it you
have derived your knowledge of natural reli-
gion.— " I am under no obligation to the New
Testament. I never read so much of the book,
as to be able to form any system from it." This
may be true ; but recollect, that all the reli-
gious sentiments which float on the minds of
those with whom you associate, and all the
just and good ideas on moral subjects which
you have received from your very childhood,
all originate in the sacred scriptures. You are
like a man in a cloudy day, who denies that
> the light, which illuminates the path in which
he walks and every object around, proceeds
from the sun, because he does not see his fees.
282
SECTION VII.
A Comparison between the most eminent Deists, and
Christians, as to their Temper, and Conduct in Life.
The best and fairest trial of the goodness of
principles is by their moral influence on dispo-
sition and conduct. As the deist conceives his
religion to be superior to Christianity, it must
make better men, and produce lives of more
eminent purity and goodness. I make no ac-
count of that licentious herd professing deism,
who give a full swing to every appetite and
every passion which craves indulgence ; and
say their religion warrants such gratifications :
every infidel of character and honour must, I
am sure, disown them as his brethren. What
I have in view is, (will it not throw light on the
controversy ?) to compare the lives of the most
noted deists with those of the most zealous
christians.
In Peter and Paul and John, disciples of Je-
sus, of whose principles and conduct brief no-
tices are given in the New Testament, there
is an unwearied study to cultivate humility,
meekness, compassion, forgiveness of injuries,
beneficence, and the returning of good for evil.
There is a constant endeavour to please God,
and to be devoted to him. There is a constant
endeavour to do good to men, to all without
283
distinction of country or religion, to instruct
them, to make them holy, and to make them
happy. For the attainment of these ends, they
submit to the greatest hardships, and suffer-
ings, and to death.
Bring forward into the field of comparison
the most famous votaries of deism, Celsus, and
Porphyry; or men better known, Voltaire,
Rousseau, Diderot, D'Alcmbert, Hume, and
Gibbon. Do they display such sanctity of cha-
racter, such purity of heart, such a veneration
for the Supreme Being, such disinterested and
ardent love to men, and such sacrifices of their
own safety and comfort for the happiness of
others? Two of these chiefs in the camp of
deism, Gibbon and Rousseau, have written
their own memoirs: let them be compared
with the lives of Peter and John. Every chris-
tian may triumph at the result ; and every deist
blush. In the brilliant memoirs of the eloquent
historian of the Decline and Fall of the Roman
Empire, he must be a quick-sighted reader,
who can perceive a noble or dignified senti-
ment, or a disinterested or benevolent principle
of conduct from beginning to end. Self is the
idol to whom a constant adoration is paid.
How different the tenor of this man's thoughts,
affections, and dispositions, from that of Paul
of Tarsus! " For me,'1 says he, " to live is
Christ. No man liveth to himself : but whether
we live* we live to the Lord. Herein do I ex-
284
ercise myself, to keep a conscience void of of-
fence both towards God, and towards man.
I endure all things for the elect's sake." From
the confessions of Rousseau, we find that his life
was polluted with vices, and his heart defiled
with the indulgence of evil passions to an ex-
treme degree. Will his temper and conduct
bear a comparison with the apostle John, who
practised the doctrine which he taught, and
whose doctrine is, u he that hateth his brother
is a murderer." " God is love; and he that
dwelleth in love, dwelleth in God, and God in
him." " Hereby we know that we are passed
from death unto life, because wre love the
brethren."
SECTION VIII.
Tlie most eminent Deists and Christians compared, as to
their Views and Hopes at the Approach of Death.
Whether principles be good and efficacious
or not, wrill be best discovered in the season of
distress: and the more bitter the distress, the
brighter will the discovery be. For bitterness,
no season can be compared to that, in which
man perceives the near approach of death. He
deserves not the name of a philosopher ; he ar-
gues and feels not as a man of reason, who docs
Tiot consider that as one of the most awful por-
tions of human existence, in which the sou! is
about to pass from a state of probation, into a
state of retribution. None, therefore, can be
more proper to try men's principles, and the
influence which they produce. Let the deist
take a view of his brethren in this solemn hour
of trial, and the christian of his; and let the
goodness of their principles be determined by
the result.
Deists speak in the highest terms of the an*
dent heathens: behold the last hours of one
who is celebrated by historians for his eminent
virtues. Germanicus at the approach of death
called together his friends: and suspecting*,
though without evidence, that Piso and Plan-
cina had shortened his days by poison or witch-
craft, he spends his dying moments in pressing
them to take revenge, in directing them how it
might be accomplished, and in binding them
by an oath to do it. In addition he thus speaks ;
•* Had I died by the decree of fate, I should
have had just cause of resentment against the
gods for hurrying me away from my parents,
my wife, and my children, in the flower of my
age, by an untimely death*." At no great
distance of time and place, Stephen the first
martyr for Jesus presents us with the last hour
* Tacitus, b. ii.
286
of a christian. While his unrelenting mur«
derers were crushing his body with stones, he
lifted up his eyes to heaven, and having imn
plored his Saviour to receive his departing soul,
he closes life with these words on his lips,
*£ Lord, lay not this sin to their charge."
But perhaps more may be expected from mo*
dem deists. History records the example of
one, a man of talents, a wit, a courtier, who at
the approach of death looked round for the sup-
port of deism in that hour, but could find none •
and his tortured soul sought refuge in the con-
solations of the gospel. In bitter agonies he
warned others against the fascinating delusions
of infidelity ; and cried to Jesus the Saviour of
sinners for mercy. In this manner died the
Earl of Rochester. Favour me, deists, with an
instance of a christian at the close of life crying
out against the gospel as a system which had
led him on to vice and misery, and having re-
course to deism for relief and consolation in that
awful season. You cannot. " But did not
others," you say, " retain their principles to
the last ?" They did : and let us examine their
tendency, their strength, and their influence
on the most eminent unbelievers. Of Vol-
taire's death various accounts have been given :
His friends say that he remained stedfast in
his infidelity to the last ; but they mention no
grand sentiments or solemn truths, which his
287
eying moments furnished for the instruction of
mankind. Some of the Roman Catholics as-
sert that he died in horrors of conscience : but
it would be unfair to rest evidence on an un-
certainty. The manner of Rousseau's death
accords with his former ideas, when he had re-
presented the human race assembled on the
ruins of the world ; and after narrating the
history of his life challenges any one of them
to say, / am better than thai m<&u Diderot
spent his last hours in decyphering riddles*
Hume, according to the testimony of a brother
deist, expressed no fears of dying, was cheer-
ful, joked about crossing Styx in Charon's boat,
and consoled himself with the consideration
that his fame was high and rising, that he
could not expect to leave his brother's family in
more comfortable circumstances, and that by
dying at the age of sixty-five, he only cut off" a
few years of infirmities. Gibbon on the even-
ing before his death sought consolation amidst
his afflictions, in computing that he might still
live twenty years.
I have brought forward the best things which
deism can produce : but these tranquil deaths
more deeply impress my mind, and furnish
more powerful evidence against deism, than all
the horrors which Voltaire is said to have en-
dured. We have here all the strength and
consolations of the infidel system presented to
288
View. Bat what are they ? The levity of Di-
derot, and the pride of Rousseau, all must
condemn as highly unbecoming. But what is
there in the dying hours of those calm philoso-
phical deists, Hume, and Gibbon, to recom-
mend infidelity, or to shake the credit of the
gospel ? No one acquainted with human na-
ture can say. that there is any force in the con-
siderations which they adduce, to reconcile
the mind to death. They may amuse a man
who is in health, and at his ease'; but they
can give no rational support in the near views
of his decease. Besides, futurity is as much
out of sight, with these men, as if death were
eternal sleep.
But the dreadful blank in the departing
deist's soul will appear still more striking, if we
place over against it, the sentiments and de-
portment of a christian in the views of death.
Paul of Tarsus who had deeply imbibed the
spirit of the gospel, amidst bonds and im-
prisonment, and in the prospects of his dis-
solution thus expresses the sentiments of his
heart ; " I desire to depart and to be with
Christ, which is far better." With pleasing
reflections on the past he cries, " I have fought
a good fight, I have finished my course, I have
kept the faith." Delighted with the pro-
spects of futurity, he exclaims with exultation;
" Henceforth* there is laid up for me a crown
2S9
*f righteousness, which the Lord the righteous
-Judge will give unto me ; and not to me only,
but to all them that love his appearing." 2 Tim.
iv. Calm and unmoved on the verge of both
-worlds, he thus expresses the language of a
stedfast faith: " I know whom I have be-
lieved, and I am persuaded that he is able to
keep that which I have committed to him,
against that day. 2 Tim. i. 12." Millions of
christians have died with the same sentiments,
and with equal hope and joy : instances still
occur from day to day. Let the man who quits
the society of christians for the camp of infi-
dels, compare and judge.
There is a remarkable circumstance which
ought not to pass unnoticed, and of which the
adversaries of the gospel are bound to give
a satisfactory account. I never heard of a
modern deist who was desirous to die, that he
might share the blessings of immortality. Can
you produce an instance ? Bring it forth, for
it is a stranger upon earth. If you cannot ;
assign the reason. Many christians have longed
" to be absent from the body, and present wTith
the Lord :" but why does the deist never ex-
press a desire to quit this life for the happiness
of futurity, nor utter the language of joy
in the prospect of removing from a present
state? Is the fault in hi?n, or in the system,
o
290
or in both ? A great fault somewhere there must
certainly be.
This rapid glance of your sentiments has
been taken with frankness; but has not been
carried beyond the bounds of truth and de-
cency. The bitterness, the ridicule, the buf-
foonery, the levity, the harsh names, which
your writers have so frequently used, wrould ill
become a disciple of Jesus, whose aim is, in the
spirit of love, to conduct you to truth and eter-
nal happiness. On a review of the chapter,
can you really think, O deists, that the chris-
tian would be warranted to give up his religion
for yours ? What improvement would "he re-
ceive as to knowledge, virtue, and felicity?
Can you really urge him with earnestness to
quit the camp of Jesus, and come over to you?
Would it not be, as if an Egyptian of old had
pressed an Israelite to forsake the light of the
land of Goshen, and to go and take up his abode
amidst the gloom of that palpable darkness
which enveloped his countrymen. Besides,
from the life and conversation of the mass of
your brethren, the most eminent for talents and
learning not excepted, is there no ground for
the christian to fear, that instead of wishing to
bring persons over from a worse religion to a
better, your aim is rather to teach them to
291
throw off the restraints of religion altogether,
and to leave those who become your converts.,
to the indulgence of every appetite and passion
without controul? From an examination of
your S37stem and your manners, the christian
must be better pleased with his own, and clearly
-perceive that the engines you employ for its
ruin do not shake the sacred structure : and he
mustbe more fully convinced that they are mi-
serable indeed, who have only the principles of
your religion for their support.
•292
CHAPTER X.
SOME MISCELLANEOUS CONSIDERATIONS, AND
CONCLUSION.
The various parts of the evidence for Christi-
anity, on which it was intended to insist, have
now been brought forth to view. The princi-
ples which the gospel contains ; the considera-
tions which its contents suggest ; the testimony
of the apostles ; the stupendous miracles; the
numerous predictions-; and the wonderful suc-
cess of the christian religion, have opened their
treasures, and placed their golden chain of ar-
guments before our eyes. The objections of
deists have been weighed in the balance of the
sanctuary ; and the numerous and essential de-
fects of their system pointed out. The reader
who has attentively considered these things,
and balanced them impartially in his mind,
must at least allow, that there never was a. false
religion which could adduce so many things in
its behdf as the gospel of Christ. But can he
say, that there ever was a true religion, which
could boast of more abundant proofs of its di-
vine authority ? Let him try what he can
brin^ forward in defence of deism ; and see if
it will admit of as ample proof. — Besides the
regular chain of evidence, there are detached
293
considerations, which, in addition to the for-
mer, have no small degree of force. Were
there room, many of these might be presented
to view: a specimen only shall be given, by
which a judgment may be formed of the rest.
SECTION L
The Harmony of the different Parts of the Evidence
for Christianity.
A brief sketch has been given of the principal
arguments in favour of the christian religion :
and we haVe travelled together over an exten-
sive and widely diversified field. One thing
has been apparent to all, that the arguments
are many in number ; the sources from which
they are derived, various ; and of very different
kinds, and from different quarters. But what
is truly remarkable, while all bear upon the
same point, all do harmoniously tend to throw
light on each other, and to give each other ad-
ditional weight : there is not a single excep-
tion. The doctrines of Christianity are very
numerous, and many of them of a very re-
markable kind ; such indeed as were never heard
of, nor known before. But among all these
doctrines, there is the most perfect harmony.
The gospel contains likewise the most exten-
2J>4
sive system of moral precepts that was ever
given. Some of these too were new, and had
no place in the pages of heathen moralists:
but they perfectly accord one with another:
there is not the slightest jarring among them.
The doctrines and precepts likewise entirely
harmonize. The latter rise out of the former
in the most natural manner, as the branches
from the stock: and all together' form one
beautiful and fruitful tree, under the shadow
of which we repose with pleasure, and in
safety. In the external evidence we discover
the same properties. There is a pleasing har-
mony among the miracles: one does not op-
pose another. The same harmony we per-
ceive in the prophecies: there is no contra-
diction ; but one concordant whole, forming a
well-shaped body with all its members. Be-
sides this, all the external evidences are in
perfect harmony with each other ; when we
examine them one by one, in their relation to
each other, we see that they all agree and all
strengthen each other. But in addition to
these, there is also a harmony between the ex-
ternal and internal arguments which mutually .
strengthen one another ; each would be in-
complete of itself; but together, they form one
harmonious whole : they are like the links of a
chain, which enclosed in each other, communi-
cate their strength to the whole, and act as one
power writh united energy.
295
If Christianity were not from God, could t1
possibly be the case ? Should we not find one
argument opposing another, one source of evi-
dence counteracting another, and some utterly
unconnected with the rest, or destroying their
force ? Bat here is a harmonious whole, com-
posed of very various parts ; and the different
colours render the piece more beautiful and in-
teresting. Or shall we compare it to a com-
plicated machine, the numerous parts of which
have a dependence on each other, bat where aU
the parts agree, and answer the end designed,
and perform the service which the maker in-
tended and promised. This merits the closest
attention of those who reject the gospeL
SECTION II.
Mvety Man of a good Disposition must xvisk the
Gospel to be true.
Tell me, deist, do you wish Christianity to be
the true religion ? Let your answer be sin-
cere. Its principles so noble and divine ; its
precepts so pure ; the happiness it proposes,
so exalted, so full, and so lasting ; its powerful
and universal tendency to purify human nature
from every thing mean and vile, and to render
it dignified, holy and blessed ; its affectionate
296
care to console amidst the sorrows of life, and
to administer support in death ; and the de-
lightful prospects it affords of a future and ne-
ver-ending state of felicity ; these are all so per-
fectly excellent, and so desirable, that every
man of a good heart must wish the gospel to
be true. Nothing but want of evidence can
withhold him from embracing it. In such a
case the sincere and humble enquirer would
quit it with the most poignant sorrow ; and ac-
count it an irreparable loss, that so admirable
a system was destitute of evidence. It would
be the bitterest dav of his life.
%/
But the man who, after examining its nature
and evidence, rejects it with indifference or
contempt, discovers a dreadful want of moral
sentiment and feeling : his wishes are not in
favour of the gospel. The heart must be
shockingly depraved, which can be indifferent ,
where duty and happiness come so close to the
soul. But he who pronounces the book an im-
posture, and throws it away with exultation and
joi/y gives too much reason to fear, that he is
conscious of sentiments and practices which
the gospel condemns ; and he discovers disposi-
tions to which a name adequate to their nature
shall not, and perhaps cannot be given. He is
like a person who with rapture bids a final
adieu to the cheering beams of the sun, that he
Iday shut himself up in eternal darkness.
297
SECTION III.
Tfte Tanper required by the New Testament in those who
examine the Evidences of Christianity.
While the pagan religion will not bear exa-
mination for a moment; while the Koran is
afraid of it and discourages it, Christianity de-
mands and urges examination as the only path
which leads to genuine faith. The fairness it
displays, and the counsels 'it delivers on this
point, are no inconsiderable presumptive argu-
ments in its favour.
Do you wish to examine the claims of the.
gospel ? Jesus forbids you to live in the prac*
tice of vice, and assigns the love of sin as one
cause of men's rejecting his religion. He tells
you that the indulgence of sensual pleasure is
hostile to the soul, and renders it averse to the
reception of the truth. He condemns avarice
as degrading to the mind, and producing a
temper opposite and inimical to the gospel.
He warns you against pride and ambition, as
destructive to the love of pure religion. He
cautions against prejudice, as an inveterate
enemy to the discovery of truth ; and against
precipitation of judgment, as leaving the mind
unfurnished with evidence, and unqualified for
determination.
o 3
298
How much these corrupt the heart, and blind
the understanding, is v ell known to every ob-
server of human nature: they must consequently
unfit the mind for a fair investigation of truth.
If the gospel condemn them, and desire, nay
and enjoin the person who comes to examine
its claims, to throw them aside, does it not
shew that it wishes to take no one by surprise,
and to have no convert from wrong motives,
or a defective investigation ; and that it is
neither ashamed nor afraid of being put to the
severest test, by such as are best qualified to
judge of its claims ?
The soul being freed from these impediments,
you are required to come to the interesting
task with such dispositions as have the most
powerful tendency to enable you to judge
aright. The doctrine of Jesus says to you,
** examine the New Testament with a serious
frame of mind. The subject is infinitely im-
portant : and your happiness through all eter-
nity depends on the result. Let levity be
banished from the soul : it renders you unmeet
for the arduous office. Bring with you an
ardent desire to know the truth : let your mind
be open to conviction. Embrace the truth
"wherever it is found, and whatever the con-
sequences may be : and wherever it may lead
you, follow it on from step to step, till you at-
tain the whole, and reach the boundary. Let
impartiality guide you in all your researches,
299
Come clothed with humility ; c for God re-
sisteth the proud, but giveth grace to the
humble.' Let diffidence in your own judgment
lead to repeated examination. Bring a pure
heart : seek to have it cleansed from every
sinful passion; for passion blinds the eyes, and
stops the ears of the soul, so that truth can
neither be seen nor heard. Act according to
the convictions of conscience : whatever seems
a duty, do: whatever is evil, shun. Let your
heart and life be under the regulation of what
appears the divine will; and daily cultivate
the love of God and man. This is the path
which conducts to the possession of truth .
6 If any man will do his will, he shall know of
the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether
I speak of myself.' John vii. 17. And as every
good and perfect gift cometh down from the
Father of Lights, present the most fervent sup-
plications to him, that he would inspire your
mind with divine wisdom, and preserve you
from the hateful influence of error, and enable
you to discover the truth, and incline your
heart to embrace it with the most devout affec-
tion."
Such are the counsels which Jesus gives^
such the injunctions he lays upon you. But is
this the method he would recommend, if his
design were to deceive you ? These are not the
words of a deceiver: on the contrary, is there
not a consciousness that he is leading you in
300
the path to divine truth f With the ideas of
moral order which have been suggested, is it
possible for us to form a different judgment?
This consideration must have much weight on
every ingenuous mind. But it will have the
best, the intended effect, if it lead you to ex-
amine the gospel with the temper he requires ;
as the consequence will be the profession of
one of the first disciples ; " Lord to whom shall
we come but to thee ? Thou hast the words of
eternal life."
SECTION IV.
The Truth of the Christian Religion believed by those
who have spent all their Days in studying the New
Testament,
There is not a book in the world which has
undergone so strict a scrutiny as the New Tes-
tament. It has been examined by its enemies ;
and it has been examined by its friends. Ten
thousands of the teachers of Christianity have
spent a long succession of laborious years in
searching into its contents: and they have
written in its defence. They have displayed
their belief of its truth by a life formed on its
precepts, and animated by its principles : and
they have died with a lively faith of its pro-
mises, rejoicing in its consolations, and ex-
301
pressing a cheerful hope of the blessedness
which it engages to bestow in a future state.
This fact is recommended to the considera-
tion of deists. Will they say, " These men
were paid for their faith :. by that craft they had
their living: there is little credit due to their
testimony r" That there have been too many
professing to be teachers of Christianity, who
entered on the office solely for the loaves and
the fishes, and who acted as mere men of the
world, and sometimes as men of vice, must be
acknowledged : and where a lure has been held
out to anffiition and avarice, this is not to be
wondered at. To their testimony not a gram
of credit is due: let them be held in that con-
tempt which their profaneness merits. But at
the same time it will be granted, by all wnom
incurable prejudice has not blinded, that great
numbers of the ministers of the gospel have
been among the most respectable characters
in society. They have exhibited in the whole
tenor of their conduct, integrity, sanctity, and
goodness; and they have spent their time and
employed their talents in doing good to their
fellow creatures, and diffusing virtue and hap-
piness around them. All the temporal remu-
neration which many of them had, was a scanty
pittance, scarcely sufficient to procure a humble
subsistence from day to day. Can it be said
that these men had very powerful temptations
to deceive the world ? With such discouraging
302
prospects they entered on their office, and they
continued in it till their dying hour : and when
they gave up the ghost, they expressed the
fullest approbation of their employment, and
recommended the gospel to their family and
friends, as the best inheritance. It must be
allowed that none understood Christianity so
well as they : and in their intercourse with
mankind, they gave as strong proofs that they
were upright and conscientious men, as were
ever given by any of the sons of Adam. Had
they been conscious that the gospel Mas not
true, some of them would have come forward
and avowed ^he imposture, and "warned men
against it. Or if they were ashamed or afraid
to do that, and to relinquish their office, death
is the hour of honesty : and as they were soon
to quit the world, and to be hidden in the
grave ; and none could upbraid them for their
confession, would not some of the best of them
have thai disclosed the imposture ? But so far
is this from having been the case, the more
pious they were, the more firm was their belief
of the divinity of the christian religion ; apd the
more lively, in the hour of death, their hope of
its eternal joys. This has been uniformly the
result, not at one time, and at one place only,
but in every country and in every age, and
among every sect of christians without distinc-
tion.
Give this subject; deists/ your serious atten-
303
|ion. Judge of the character and testimony
jof these men, as you would on other subjects
with equal evidence. If in every thing else
Ithey shew themselves men of intelligence and
Imen of integrity, you have no just reason to
'suspect them of disingenuity on this one point.
The evidence will amount to this, that Christia-
nity has been accounted true by the men who
were best qualified to judge of its claims to
truth and a divine origin. The measure of
(evidence will be increased, if you take into
iyour view, that thousands of christian ministers
Ifor the sake of the gospel have suffered the loss
'of all things ; and have submitted to want, to
exile, to imprisonment, and to martyrdom in
its most horrid forms.
Thus have I endeavoured to place before
I your eyes, the evidences of the christian re*
jligion. Remember that by the christian religion
\l?nean, the system of truth which is\contained in
\the New Testament. The additions made to
j Christianity, whether by individuals, or by
| bodies of men calling themselves the church,
j are destitute of all claim to divine truth; and
! it would be as great an absurdity to consider
! them as a part of Christianity, as it would be to
add the Koran to the New Testament, and to
account its contents as part of the religion of
1 Jesus Christ, and of equal validity with the
304
writings of the apostles. When the witnesses
of the life and death of Christ died, the age of
inspiration ceased, for God had revealed by
them every truth which it was needful for men
to know: and whatever things have been added
since, are to be looked upon but as the opinions
of fallible men, without weight and without
authority. Let all such additions be swept
away as useless rubbish, and as noisome dung
which have defiled the sanctuary of God.
305
CONCLUSION.
Having thu^ briefly, and I hope I may add,
with fairness and candour, stated the evidence
of the divine authority of the New Testament,
permit one with all the ardour of heart-felt
affection to intreat you, my dear friends, to
read it again and again, and weigh these argu-
ments in the balance of impartial reason.
Should any of you, notwithstanding all this
evidence, reject the New Testament as an im-
posture ; — before you throw the sacred book
away, consider the following passages, in which
it announces the mournful doom of those^ who
will not receive Jesus as the Saviour of sinners.
Go ye into all the world , and preach the gospel to
every creature: he that believeth and is baptized
shall be saved, but he that believeth not shall be
condemned. Mark xvi. 15, 16. He that be-
lieveth on the Son hath everlasting life ; but he
that believeth not the Son shall not see life, but
the wrath of God abideth on him. John iii. 36.
.Neither is there salvation in any other; for there
is none other name given among ?nen whereby we
must be saved. Acts iv. 12. The Lord Jesus
shall be revealed from heaven with his vxighty
angels inflaming fire, taking vengeance on them
who know not God and obey not the gospel of our
306
Lord Jesus Christ, who shall be punished with;
everlasting destruction from the presence of the
Lord, andfrmn the glory of his power ; when he
shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be
admired in all them that believe. 2 Thes. i.
1, 8, 9, 10. Such are the declarations of this
book concerning those who reject it in unbelief:
and on a supposition of its divine authority,
they are both natural and just. For if " God
has so loved the world, as to give his only be-
gotten son unto it, that whosoever believeth in
him should not perish, but have everlasting
life," not to receive him must be the greatest
of all sins; and must involve in it the highest
degree of disobedience, ingratitude, and con-
tempt. The unhappy men have refused the
only method of obtaining happiness; and with
unhallowed hands have shut the gates of mercy
against themselves : and when on entering the
eternal worlds they are cast off by God, and
feel that sense of his displeasure which their
iniquities have merited ; and are left under the
full dominion of their evil passions, such a
spectacle of misery will be presented, as no
words can describe, and no heart conceive.
Should a candid reader say, u I was a deist^
but I am now convinced that Jesus is the
Christ:" remember, my friend, that a bare
profession will avail nothing : it is necessary
that the principles of the gospel should be
307
written on your heart, and that its precepts
should mould your temper and direct your
conduct; so that you may be entirely under its
influence, and able to say with a disciple of old>
" Christ liveth in me."
In order to produce this effect, there is re-
quired the energy of a higher power than
man's. Jesus, when speaking on the subject,
says, " Except *a man be born again of the
Spirit, he cannot see the kingdom of God.5'
John iii. 5. And, in chap. vi. 44, u no man
can come unto me, except the Father who
hath sent me draw him." By the depravity of
human nature this is become absolutely ne-
cessary : and God who made man at first holy
and happy, promises and delights to bestow-
that grace wrhich renews Him in the spirit of
his mind, and inclines his heart to embrace
Jesus Christ " as made of God unto him, wis-
dom, righteousness, sanctification, and re-
demption." 1 Cor. i. 30. This doctrine so
humiliating to pride, runs through the whole
of the New Testament, and is designed to lead
the person who is convinced of the guilt of his
unbelief, to fall down before God in prayer,
and address him in such words as these : " God
be merciful to me a sinner. Send forth thy
light and thy truth, and let them lead me and
guide me. Create in me a clean heart, O
God, and renew a right spirit within me." To
animate you with the hope of success, Jesus
308
Christ has said, " Ask and it shall be given
you, seek and ye shall find, knock and it shall
be openejd unto you : for every one that asketh
receiveth ; and he that seeketh findeth ;. and to
him that knocketh it shall be opened." Matt,
vii. 7, 8. And " If ye men being evil, know
how to give good gifts unto your children »;
how much more shall your heavenly Father
give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him.'.'
Luke xi. 13.
Having received the blessing, and €i being
in Christ, you are made a new creature : old
things are passed away/ behold all things are
become new." 2 Cor. v. 17. Living under the
influence of the gospel, its doctrines support-
ing your faith, its precepts forming, your tem-
per and regulating your conduct,, its promises
animating your hopes,. and its truths habitually
filling your thoughts, and drawing forth your
affections, you feel yourself as it were in a new
world. Your life is unspeakably more happy
than before. You have joys which " a stranger
intermeddleth not with :" and your joy " no
man taketh from you."
It will be henceforth the grand business of
life to please God, and be wholly devoted to
him ; to maintain a constant reliance on the
mediation of Jesus Christ ; to seek after a
greater resemblance to your heavenly Father
in wisdom, in rectitude, in sanctity and in
goodness ; and to exert yourself, in order to
309
be useful to mankind in promoting their tem-
poral, but especially their eternal happiness.
The pleasures which result from spending
your days in such a way, leave all others far
behind : they are the purest and sweetest which
are enjoyed on earth: but they are only the
first fruits, and the pledge and earnest of still
greater felicity. Death so justly dreaded by
the greatest of infidels, is often invited by the
disciples of Jesus as the messenger of their
Father in heaven, to bring them home to their
Father's house : and he will convey your soul
into the presence of the God of love, and to the
spirits of just men made perfect. At the re-
surrection, your body shall be raised from the
grave : and placed on the right-hand of the
Judge, you will with rapture hear him say,
" Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the
kingdom, prepared for you from the founda-
tion of the world." An eternity succeeds of
perfect holiness, and of the purest and con-
stantly increasing felicity, in the society of all-
wise and holy beings, and in the full fruition of
the friendship of God. To bring you to the
enjoyment pf such happiness, is the design of
this Essay in persuading you to become chris-
tians. That every unbeliever who reads it, may
be made a partaker of these immortal joys, by
receiving Jesus as the Saviour, is the author's
fervent prayer; and would be deemed a glori-
ous reward, If but one receive. this benefit, he
310
mil account his labour not lost, but well be-
stowed : for the happiness communicated to
that one soul exceeds, with respect both to
degree and duration, all the pleasure which
ever has been, or ever will be enjoyed by all
the men on the face of the earth, in every
country, and in every age.
FINIS.
C. WHITT1NGHAM, Printer, Dean Street.
WORKS
in
DEFENCE OF CHRISTIANITY,
PUBLISHED AND SOLD BV
T. WILLIAMS, STATIONERS' COURT.
AN ESSAY ON THE INSPIRATION of the
Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament.
By John Dick, A.M. Second Edition, corrected
and enlarged, 12mo. 3 s. Fine Paper, 3 s. 6d.
THE REASON OF FAITH; or, an Answer to
the Enquiry, Wherefore we believe the Scriptures
to be the Word of God : with the Causes and Na-
ture of Divine Faith. By J. Owen, D.D. Abridg-
ed by J. Kirkpatrick. 12mo. 1 s.
THE AGE OF INFIDELITY, in Two Parts; in
answer to the Two Parts of Paine's Age of Reason.
By A Layman. 8vo. 4s.
REFLECTIONS ON THE RESURRECTION
AND ASCENSION OF CHRIST ; and of the pro-
bable Consequences of a public Exhibition of his
Ascension, which some think necessary to the Cre-
dibility of the Fact, By John Bigland. 8vo.
2. 6d.
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